Nominations are now closed for Star Awards 2026.
The Star Awards celebrate the #TEWVstars who do amazing work across our trust, going the extra mile in everything they do.
This year there are 13 categories open to both clinical and corporate colleagues:
- Living our values
- Partnership working
- Excellence in learning
- Volunteer of the year
- Co-creation champion
- Team of the year (clinical)
- Team of the year (corporate)
- Student of the year
- People’s star (clinical)
- People’s star (corporate)
- Wellbeing contribution
- Co-creation in action
- Rising star
A special Chair’s Award is also presented on the night.
Star Awards 2026 finalists announced
Our annual awards are back!
The Star Awards celebrate the #TEWVstars who do amazing work across our trust, going the extra mile in everything they do.
This year we received over 630 nominations across 13 categories, and the finalists can now be revealed.
Take a look at this year’s Star Awards finalists:
Living our values
- Ben Collins
- Estates team
- Huntington House reception team
This award celebrates a person or team who goes above and beyond to live our trust values of respect, compassion and responsibility. Their drive, commitment and support make a genuine difference to their colleagues, our patients, carers and partners.
Partnership working
- Durham Mental Health Support Team
- Equality, Diversity and Human Rights team (EDHR)Yor Community Wellbeing Hub
This award showcases collaborations and partnerships driving positive change across our trust. A person or team that is successfully working in partnership with external organisations, including charities, or another trust team.
Excellence in learning
- Hannah Fairbairn and Jane Slater
- Rebecca Morley
- Clinical educators – Gemma Cockerill and Julia Ruddock
This award recognises a commitment to learning and development. A person or team who uses their time to attend additional training, learn new skills or conduct research to improve our services. It can also celebrate a person dedicated to supporting others through their learning, including mentors, coaches and preceptors.
Volunteer of the year
- Maureen Treharne
- Joanne Ward
- Laura and Bella
This award celebrates a person who has made a significant contribution to our trust by giving their time freely. Someone who has created a positive impact for people in our care or our services.
Co-creation champion
- Linda Howson
- Simon Kilford
- Chris Klays
This award celebrates someone who keeps co-creation at the heart of everything they do. It could be an involvement member, patient, carer or colleague who works hard to learn about co-creation and uses it to improve our services.
Team of the year (clinical)
- Baysdale ward
- Bankfields
- Teesside triage and assessment hub
This award will be presented to an outstanding clinical team. A team of people with shared values that work together to make a positive impact in our trust.
Team of the year (corporate)
- Complaints team
- Reasonable Adjustments team
- Quality Improvement team
This award will be presented to an outstanding corporate team. A team of people with shared values that work together to make a positive impact in our trust.
Student of the year
- Samuel Francis
- Emma Meehan
- Manny Uddin-Ahmed
This award celebrates a student who has accessed our trust as part of their learning and development. Someone who already lives our values and helps to provide patient care and services in our trust.
People’s star (clinical)
- Yvonne Pocknell
- Louise Brown
- Denise Teasdale
This award is presented to an outstanding colleague working in a clinical role/setting. An exceptional person who has made a real difference to the experience of their colleagues, the people in our care, families or carers.
People’s star (corporate)
- Father Tony Lester
- Jo-anne Crow
- Violeta Ivanova
This award is presented to an outstanding colleague working in a corporate role/corporate function. An exceptional person who has made a real difference to the experience of their colleagues, the people in our care, families or carers.
Wellbeing contribution
- Adrian Machon
- Mark Bradley
- Sophie Kirk
This award recognises the outstanding work being done to promote and improve wellbeing throughout our trust. This can include a person, activity or initiative run over the last year and may also include examples relating to equality, diversity and inclusion.
Co-creation in action
- Durham Tees Valley autism team, Darlington community mental health team and involvement members
- Darlington crisis house team
- North Yorkshire Talking Therapies Partnership Forum
This award celebrates an activity, campaign, project or new way of working that has been developed through co-creation over the last year.
Rising star
- Beth Thomas
- Ellie Lakey
- Nadia Bellas-Cheeseman
This award is presented to a person who is new to a role within our trust and has already made an impact on their team or department. Someone who is ambitious, committed to learning, with an appetite to progress in their career.
We look forward to welcoming our Star Awards 2026 finalists to the awards night in November, where the winners will be announced.
