Press Story

Ahead of the 2012 Olympics and with all eyes on London, think tank IPPR North is shining the spotlight on the 'Northern Champions', a list of twelve of the most promising figures in the North of England from the worlds of sport, politics, drama, business and education.

The project was launched last year and already some of the 2011 'Northern Lights' have achieved notable success. The think tank successfully predicted the climb to prominence of rising star Rachel Reeves MP, now Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury. Professor Clare Bambra has since been made Associate Director of the Wolfson Research Institute, while Northern Stage Chief Executive Erica Whyman has been nominated for a Best Director award.

Two notable figures from this year's list are Olympic hopefuls Kat Driscoll and Keri-Anne Payne.

Stockport-based Keri-Anne Payne is striving to win Gold in the open water swimming marathon. A silver medal at Beijing in 2008 has been followed by winning two World Aquatics Championships and Keri-Anne is widely tipped to bring a gold medal back North this summer.

Trampolinist Kat is based in Washington in the North East and is hopeful of building upon her success at last year's World Championships by winning the Gold in London. Kat, who trains a younger generation of trampolinists at her local leisure centre, has the potential to make history by becoming the first Brit to finish on the podium in Olympic trampolining.

Paralympic hopeful Hannah Crockroft was also recognised ahead of her Paralympic debut this summer competing in the T34 wheelchair sprint event. Halifax based Hannah is the double world champion in both the 100m and 200m events and is widely tipped for success in London this summer.

The Northern Champions list was arrived at following a call for nominations which was then whittled down to the final twelve by a judging panel of leading Northerners. The judges took into consideration not only personal achievements and potential, but also the impact that the individuals had in their local communities.

A number of champions from professions other than sport have also been selected. Dominic Edmunds, founder of innovative software business Salecycle has been crowned for his entrepreneurship in business while creating valuable new jobs in the Northeast of England. Salford-based Emma Smith was selected for her support for social enterprise and community work, fostering a strong spirit of social responsibility in Salford. Elena Rodriguez-Falcon was one of two academics who made the list, selected for her pioneering teaching methods, encouraging engineering students at Sheffield University to find solutions for real-world problems. Professor Andy Gouldson, from the University of Leeds was also recognised for his ground-breaking studies on climate change and carbon emissions.

Other champions include up-and-coming Managing Director of Jobwise, Leanne Goodwin, and Leader of Newcastle City Council, Nick Forbes, for their dedication to job creation in austere times.

The list also includes a young writer from the Northeast, a Head teacher from the Northwest, and an MP from Yorkshire. Lee Mattinson has transported his work from Live Theatre Newcastle to London's Bush Theatre, bringing the North eastern 'Chalet Lines' to the capital. Yvonne Sharples has transformed a Liverpool High School, previously considered 'the worst in the country'. Ex-Special Forces Major Dan Jarvis MP is lauded for his rapid ascent through the Labour Party ranks, expected to be in the front line of British politics.

Ed Cox, Director of IPPR North said:

"This summer will showcase the best talent that the sporting world has to offer, as champions from across the globe descend on London to compete at the 2012 Olympics. With all eyes on the capital, it is easy to forget about the many Northern champions who are going for gold.

"But the North is also home to a wide range of talent across the worlds of business, politics, culture and education. Northern Champions provides us with the opportunity to celebrate and recognise talented individuals and the potential that they bring to the communities in which they live. With so much emphasis currently placed on the troubled economy and grim statistics in the North, it is important to also identify success in the region and to project a message of hope for the future."

Notes to Editors

The Northern Champions top 12 was arrived at following a call for nominations with the requirement that nominees must live and work in the North East, North West or Yorkshire and Humber. Over a hundred nominations were received. The final twelve were selected by a three-person judging panel, representing a broad spectrum of the northern community. They were Sarah Dunwell, CEO of CREATE based in Yorkshire (and a 2011 Northern Light); Margaret Fay, Ex-Chairman of One North East and former Managing Director of Tyne Tees Television, and Ed Cox, Director of IPPR North, making up the final judging panel.

IPPR North is IPPR's dedicated think tank for the North of England. With bases in Newcastle and Manchester, IPPR North's research, together with our stimulating and varied events programme, seeks to produce innovative policy ideas for fair, democratic and sustainable communities across the North of England.

IPPR North specialises in regional economics, localism and community policy. Our approach is collaborative and we benefit from extensive sub-national networks, regional associates, and a strong track record of engaging with policymakers at regional, sub-regional and local levels.

IPPR North's Northern Champions 2012 is published at: http://www.ippr.org/articles/56/9445/twelve-for-2012

Ellie Geddes, 0191 233 9051 e.geddes@ippr.org