Tell me about your Mum: Tesco Mum of the Year Awards 2015

Last Autumn I went to a party. Not just any old party, this was one of those surreal, dreamlike events where I ate beef two tables away from Boyzone, tried not to gaze at Jason Merrells over my pâté, and gossiped with Eileen from Coronation Street about what everyone else was wearing. This was the huge perk of being an ambassador for the Tesco Mum of the Year Awards. 

In actual fact though, it was difficult to stay starstruck for very long. Every single person in that room – famous or not – was in tears at some point, as we watched the tributes on stage to the real stars of that day. Women who have fought illness, injustice, and discrimination to achieve monumental change for others:

• Margaret Aspinall who lost her son in the Hillsborough tragedy and spent twenty four years campaigning for the truth as part of the Hillsborough Families Support Group
• Ann Maxwell who set up a children’s epilepsy charity and has raised over £7 million despite suffering from cancer
• Claire Lomas who got married, had a baby and walked the London Marathon despite being paralysed in a riding accident.

Announcing the Tesco Mum of the Year Awards 2015

I’m delighted to be part of the awards again this year, and I’m kicking off by asking for your nominations in the Tesco Mum of the Year Awards 2015. You have until 5 September to nominate a mum who you think has done amazing things. She can be your own mum, or someone in the spotlight, as my winner last year was – you can read about paralympian Dame Sarah Storey here. Just click the link above to go to the nomination form.

It’s not just about the glory though. Over the years, the Awards have helped over 80 winners raise the profiles of their charities and causes. Tesco owns the Awards and started them 10 years ago to recognise ordinary women who do extraordinary things to change the lives of others. I met some of these mums, and they are indeed ordinary in the very best sense of the word. Your mum doesn’t have to be a celebrity, or a bigshot – in fact, they were the most humble and loveliest of ladies, quietly working away to change the world.

I can’t wait to see this year’s shortlist. And when I hit the red carpet in March I promise to tweet all the gossip (I’m hoping for an upgrade to Boyzone’s table this year – although I’m totally taking Jason Merrells with me)!

For more information, visit www.tescoliving.com/mum-of-the-year.

Disclosure: I have received a small admin fee for my role as ambassador to the Tesco Mum of the Year Awards. All opinion, copy, and gushing over the stars is my own.