TWO York fundraisers were celebrated at a glitzy event in Leeds.

Shany Hagan and Ian Flatt were both nominated in the Heart Yorkshire Hero Awards - an annual awards ceremony which celebrates ordinary Yorkshire people who have gone above and beyond.

The show was hosted by Heart Yorkshire drivetime presenters Dixie and Emma on Thursday, September 26 at Headingley Stadium.

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Nominations opened in August with listeners encouraged to nominated people who deserved recognition in ten different categories ranging from carer of the year to sporting achievement and many in between.

Of the nominees, Dixie said: “We’ve been humbled by the record number of entries this year, it made judging the awards really challenging, but it just shows how much courage, kindness, selflessness and dedication there is across Yorkshire.”

Two nominees emerged from the York area, Shany Hagan – who won fundraiser of the year – and Ian Flatt – who was designated Yorkshire Hero.

According to her bio, Shany discovered her passion for painting after undergoing eye surgery at the start of the pandemic, and her work quickly went viral, attracting numerous celebrity commissions. Driven by a desire to help others, she has donated her artwork to over 80 charities, raising hundreds of thousands of pounds. 

Of her evening, Shany said: “It was incredible – I met some amazing people. I just wanted to be friends with everyone, there was so many amazing stories”

Ian as nominated for the Yorkshire Hero award with his bio saying: diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2019, Ian has refused to let his condition define him. Instead, he has taken on incredible challenges to raise over £24,000 for the Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease Appeal, including two 100-mile treks, climbing Mount Snowdon, and his ambitious '7 Mountains' challenge, scaling seven peaks in just three weeks in his off-road powered wheelchair.

On the evening, Liz Paver, Station Director at Heart Yorkshire, opened the award ceremony by welcoming everyone saying: "The Heart Yorkshire Hero Awards are a testament to the incredible people who make Yorkshire such a special place. Each nominee represents the very best of our community, and we are honoured to share their stories tonight.”