The Guide Liverpool Heroes 2025: Meet our Children of Courage

Heroes come in all shapes and sizes – and some of the fiercest are children.

Despite being young, they show a determination and a fighting spirit that leaves many adults in awe.

The four Child of Courage winners in our first ever The Guide Liverpool Heroes awards, have got resilience and bravery by the bucketload.

Jessica Dowle – Jessica’s Stoma Journey

Jessica, 11, was born with a severe bowel condition and had a colostomy stoma fitted at the age of four. Since then, the young girl from Seaforth has made it her mission to take the stigma out of stomas, raising thousands to support charities like Colostomy UK and A Bear Like Buttony, which provides special teddies, and more, to help children like her get used to life with a stoma. She speaks out tirelessly in news reports and via her own social media pages to raise awareness and offer support.

Henri Brammer – who has raised £30,000 for Alder Hey

After being rushed into Alder Hey in December 2022 with a life threatening brain infection, Henri endured two craniotomy procedures and surgery before undergoing a prolonged course of intravenous antibiotics. After four weeks in hospital Henri was discharged, but he and his family were determined to give back to the city’s children’s hospital which had helped him survive. While still under the care of the neurosurgery department, showing ‘resilience, generosity and unwavering spirit,’ he organised knockout pool tournaments, PJ parties, hero dress-up day at school, a brave the shave event, and more, turning an initial £2,000 fundraising target into more than £30,000.

Zachary Kewley – who saved the life of a three-year-old girl while on holiday 

Thirteen-year-old Zachary was playing in a pool while on holiday with his family in Mexico when he felt something bang into him – and turned round to see a young girl facing downwards in the water, before sinking beneath it. Despite having his own medical challenges, without thinking, Zachary dived down to grab her and pulled her lifeless body to the side before shouting for help. Despite fears they may be too late, medics revived the little girl from Canada who went on to make a full recovery – something the three-year-old’s mum declared a ‘miracle’, writing to thank the teen hero: “Because of you, Ellie gets to keep growing, laughing, and sharing her funny, sweet personality with the world.”

Maximus ‘Mighty Max’ Johnson – a posthumous award to honour his brave cancer battle

When Maximus Eric Alexander Johnson was born on November 27, 2016, his Lydiate family welcomed a real gladiator into the world. At 10 months old ‘Mighty Max’ was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour and given a 50% chance of survival – and the brave youngster began an unimaginable battle for life.

He faced a total of nine brain tumours, 28 rounds of chemotherapy, 93 sessions of radiotherapy, six weeks of proton beam therapy, multiple surgeries and countless blood transfusions. When limited options remained available here, family and friends raised money to take Maximus for pioneering immunotherapy in Germany, but sadly this was unsuccessful.

Entering him for the Child of Courage award, his aunt Nicola Johnson said the family continued to fight and ‘believe in miracles’.

She said:

“Despite all of this, Maximus has never given up hope and neither have we. He has faced every procedure, hospital stay and treatment with a smile and bravery beyond his years. Maximus is a symbol of hope, strength and resilience in our community. He has touched hearts across Liverpool and beyond.

“His courage deserves to be recognised not just for enduring cancer, but for doing so with a kind heart, a loving spirit, and a warrior’s soul.”

Sadly, Maximus passed away before learning he had won a Child of Courage award.

Jay Hynd, The Guide Liverpool founder and director, says:

“We were inundated with entries for Child of Courage, and it was one of the most difficult awards to decide.

“When we launched the Heroes event, we knew it would come with its challenges, not least learning about what some of our Heroes have been through, things we can’t ever imagine.

“I knew it would be tough, but I didn’t realise how tough.

“But all four of these children have done incredible things and been through really tough conditions. It’s one thing an adult showing courage, it’s another when it’s a child.”

Jay says it him hard when he contacted Maximus’s family to tell them that he had won a Child of Courage award, only to learn that he had lost his brave battle for life, but he adds: “As far as I was concerned, he was still one of our winners and I was delighted when his family decided to come to the awards evening and accept it for him.

“Mighty Max is no longer with us, but when you look back on his life you can see what a little fighter and a little trooper he was. He was, without any doubt, a Child of Courage.”

Each Child of Courage will be given a full Knowsley Safari experience where they get to meet some of the animals and have a perfect day out with their families.

Gaskells Waste have named one of their lorries in honour of ‘Mighty Max’ Johnson.

Jay praised Gaskells Waste who ‘have really got behind this award, beyond the sponsorship, and truly wanted to help, which has been beautiful’.

Find out more about The Guide Liverpool Heroes here.

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