Incredible bravery and immense dedication - the extraordinary winners at The Pride of Manchester awards

Tears were expected at this celebration. The Pride of Manchester awards held at the Kimpton hotel on Tuesday May 10 celebrated the unsung heroes of our region by singing their praises.

From the emergency services award celebrating the best of Manchester's blue light workers, to the spirit of Manchester and special recognition awards to those in the city who have really made a difference, the Pride of Manchester awards celebrates the ordinary people of this great region for their extraordinary actions.

Celebrities joined the stars of the night on both the red carpet and the stage as they presented awards. Manchester’s own Mel B and Andy Burnham were in attendance alongside singer Fleur East, Mwaka Mudena and Richie Driss from Blue Peter, Paralympians Dame Sarah Storey and Jaco Van Gass, legendary broadcaster Moira Stuart, Elbow’s frontman Guy Garvey and many more, including faces from Coronation Street, Love Island and the Real Housewives of Cheshire.

Pixie Belle Sykes

Pixie Belle Sykes, aged nine from Ashton-under-Lyne, looked as if she had stepped out of a fairytale for her Child of Courage award. Despite being nervous at the beginning of the evening, she walked the red carpet like a pro and was excited to show off how her white mascara matched not only her dress and shoes but her award.

Before collecting her award, a short film was shown of Pixie Belle’s battle with pilocytic astrocytoma, a rare brain tumour which she has been battling since she was five. Following four operations on her brain, losing her hair three times and the sight in one of her eyes, Pixie Belle was still the Belle of the ball.

Speaking about watching the short film, Pixie Belle said: “I was crying and I said to mum ‘is my mascara okay?’”

Despit