A courageous teenager who suffers from a rare condition that affects a number of her vital organs has been hailed as a school superstar.
Eden O’Shea-Price, 15, from Prestatyn, was named as the Ultimate High Achiever at a glittering awards ceremony at Glyndwr University in Wrexham.
She was chosen for the top accolade for the inspirational and courageous way she never lets a serious illness get in the way of her day to day life at Prestatyn High School.
Eden, a pupil of Prestatyn High School, has a rare condition called Mesanglo Capillary Glamesulon Nephinitis, which means she has problems with a number of her body’s vital organs.
She received the accolade at the second annual High Achievers Awards, run in conjunction with the North Wales Crusaders Rugby League Club and the Eagles Meadow Shopping Centre in Wrexham,
The awards, also backed by New Directions Education and Tesco Wrexham, saw youngsters from Wrexham, Flintshire and Denbighshire picking up prizes in a range of categories, including everything from Community Volunteer to Sporting Prowess.
The competition, with a host of prizes for all shortlisted entrants donated by retailers at Eagles Meadow, was open to high school pupils up to the age of 16 from across the three counties and over 400 nominations came flooding in.
The aim was to recognise and reward young people who deserve a big pat on the back.
The eight categories were Community Volunteer, Sporting Prowess, Academic Achievement, Creative Genius, Science and Innovation, Young Braveheart, One to Watch and Heart of Gold.
Competition judges were Eagles Meadow Manager Kevin Critchley, Hanna Clarke, Head of Commercial at North Wales Crusaders, Robert Ratcliffe of New Directions Education and Alison Roberts, Tesco Community Champion.
Prizes were presented during a glittering ceremony in William Aston Hall at Glyndwr University at which the guests of honour were the Mayor and Mayoress of Wrexham, Councillor Alan Edwards and his wife Glenys, the Mayoress, and Jamie Thomas, Chief Executive Officer of North Wales Crusaders.
Handing over the prizes was 25-year-old Toby Adamson, who is himself a high achiever after winning a place in the Crusaders line-up while studying for a law degree.
Eden’s awards nomination, submitted by her school, says: “She never lets this affect her life in school and you wouldn’t even be aware that she is constantly in pain.
“She achieves highly in all her GCSE subjects and enjoys all that she does.
“There have been a number of occasions when Eden has been isolated from her friends for weeks on end due to outbreaks of chicken pox/shingles that would have a fatal effect on her.
“Eden is always a cheerful individual who simply achieves highly and wants to fit in like any other teenager. She is an inspiration to us all.”
Earlier in the ceremony, Eden was declared as winner of the Young Braveheart category, awarded to an individual who has overcome severe personal barriers in everyday life.
Her special prizes for being Ultimate Achiever were a £25 F.Hinds voucher, a £20 Frankie and a Benny’s voucher and a treatment at Gozo Men’s Salon, all from Eagles Meadow, plus a £20 Tesco voucher.
Eden said of her double victory: “It was a real shock to learn that I had won the Ultimate High Achiever award, especially as it came on top of the Young Braveheart award.
“I try to not let my illness hold me back or prevent me from doing things that I know I can do.”
Her proud mum, Sarah O’Shea, who was sitting alongside her, said: “Eden was diagnosed with her illness when she was eight years old and basically it affects her in quite a lot of ways and we have been told that she will eventually have to have transplants for some of her organs.
“But, despite not having a full attendance record because of her condition, she works really hard to achieve high grades.”
Other category winners were Morgan Pritchard, 14, who lives in Wrexham and attends Ysgol Morgan Llwyd, Wrexham (Community Volunteer), Robyn Williams, 15, who lives in Wrexham and is a pupil at St Joseph’s, Wrexham (Sporting Prowess), Emily Baines, 12, of Marford who attends Darland High School, Wrexham (Academic Achievement), Antonia Sully, 15, who lives in Holt and is a pupil at St Joseph’s, Wrexham (Creative Genius) and Hollie Gibson, 15, who lives in Wrexham and attends Rhosnesni High, Wrexham (Heart of Gold).
A six-strong team from Clywedog School, Wrexham, who call themselves Mocking Jays topped the Science and Innovation category for their joint achievement in winning the Industry Cadets competition run by British Aerospace at Broughton to design, cost and build an eco-friendly “pod” of classrooms.
The competition’s youngest North Wales entrants, they are now trying to acquire funding to actually build their creation.
In the team, and all aged 13, were Abbie Whiting from Minera, Megan Owen from Brymbo, Lucy Williams from Bwllchgwyn, Elise Davies of Bersham, Ellie Cummins of New Broughton and Morgan Leigh Weston-Hughes from Wrexham.
For all these categories the prizes donated by Eagles Meadow retailers were: Boots (No7 mini makeover), Dorothy Perkins (£25 voucher), Gozo Salon (gent’s cut and style with a style director worth £18 and lady’s beautiful browns treatment worth £32), Nandos (meal and drinks vouchers), F. Hinds (£25 voucher), Trespass (two £10 vouchers), Odeon (pair of cinema tickets), Tenpin (bowling voucher for four people worth £25), Next (£25 voucher), Subway (two £10 meal vouchers) and Frankie and Benny’s (£50 voucher and two £20 vouchers).
Speaking from the stage during the ceremony, Eagles Meadow Centre Manager Kevin Critchley said: “Last year was very difficult to judge but this year has been even more difficult because of the amazingly high standard of entries we received.
“The entrants are a fantastic group of people and I must say I can’t remember meeting anyone as good as they are when I was a kid.
“They should all congratulate themselves because they are all superb.”
North Wales Crusaders’ Chief Executive Officer Jamie Thomas said: “This is the second year of the High Achievers Awards and it has built upon the success of the first year’s competition.
“The number of schools we have reached out to has increased as has the number of entries because this year we have included Flintshire and Denbighshire as well as Wrexham.
“These awards are recognition of the things that are going on in our schools and is all about honouring those who go unrecognized for all the good work they do.”
Rob Ratcliffe of New Directions Education, said: “We are hugely proud to be involved with the awards. As a company we try to give as much as we can back to the community.
“Judging has been very difficult because there have been so many worthy winners. And they are all absolutely brilliant.”
