The Archbishop of York, Dr. John Sentamu, presented the first ever Christian Youth Work Awards at a Presentation Dinner at Bishopthorpe Palace on Tuesday 20th September 2011 this evening. The four awards presented include Youth Worker of the Year, Volunteer of the Year, Most Innovative Piece of Youth Work and Best Youth Work Employer. The award winners were Youth Worker of the Year – Rebecca Hamer; Volunteer of the Year – Sue Fordyce; Most Innovative Piece of Youth Work – Create, Ran by Clare McCormack and Alan Clark at Renfrewshire Scotland; and Best Youth Work Employer – The Newcastle and East Methodist Church Circuit, represented by The Reverend Eden Fletcher. The awards are being sponsored by The Archbishop of York Youth Trust which specialises in enabling young people to make a positive difference to their communities. Commenting on the awards, Dr. Sentamu said: “I’m delighted to be able to host this prestigious event at Bishopthorpe.  To see Christian youth work going from strength to strength across the country is both inspiring and challenging, particularly in these difficult times. I’m humbled by the example set by those who give their time to Christian youth work on a voluntary basis. We need to encourage innovative youth work that puts the needs of young people first.” Hundreds of youth workers and projects were nominated from across the country and a panel of judges met in July to make the difficult decision about who should receive an Award. The prizes have been donated by a variety of Christian organisations and other sponsors. The final results will be published in Youthwork magazine in the November issue.