Schoolgirls scoop Young Citizen Award
Two schoolgirls with a shared passion for helping others have been named as the joint winners of this year's Wolverhampton Young Citizen of the Year award.
Taranveer Khangura, 17, and Millie Betteridge, 15, were rated best of the bunch out of a strong group of eight finalists at the event at the Mayor's Parlour in the Civic Centre.
Now in its fifth year, the award is run by the city's five Rotary clubs and recognises the achievements of youngsters who have gone that extra mile to help others in their communities.
Taranveer, a deputy head girl at Wolverhampton Girls High School, has raised hundreds of pounds for various charities, volunteered at Barnardos and the Sun Rise Care home, as well as at a local primary school.
She is also an accomplished sportswoman and supports the community in her role with the Army Cadet Force.
Smestow School student Millie joined the Youth Council in 2015 and is a Youth MP for the city, a role which saw her speak in the House of Commons about the importance of curriculum for life.
She was recognised for her passion for being a force for positive change for other youngsters in Wolverhampton.
Each winner received a cheque for £100 and £250 for the groups represented by each of their nominators.
Rotarian Roger Timbrell, chair of the organising committee, said: "The competition was as strong as ever this year, and it was so difficult to pick between Millie and Taranveer that we decided to have joint winners.
"They both thoroughly deserve this award. As a city it is only right that we recognise the fantastic achievements of all of the finalists."
The other finalists were Amias Perry, 16, Alisha Kaur Swali, 18, Richie Tanner, 15, Anna Tabner, 15, Carina Kaur Bougan, 14, and Gurpal Sahota, 16.
The award is sponsored by the Express & Star, Waitrose, Wolves and The Way Youth Zone. It is dedicated to the memory of Tom Warren, a former education chief in the city who was only the second Briton ever to lead Rotary International throughout the world.
