Pride of Britain heroes celebrate at 10 Downing Street with Prime Minister Keir Starmer

They may have been nursing a few sore heads, but Britain’s best and bravest were up early after partying the night away at the , with TSB.

Our incredible winners were whisked to 10 Downing Street to meet the Prime Minister and his Cabinet, including Lisa Nandy, Hilary Benn and , who got talking to little Florrie Bark.

The Child of Courage award-winner, eight, joked that she and older brother Freddie are so short that they’re roughly the same height when she’s in her wheelchair.

“Your brother will keep growing though,” warned the Deputy Prime Minister. “You just wait - when boys get to their teenage years they suddenly shoot up like beanstalks.”

Florrie laughed: “All of us are just little elves and they’re like giants.”

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“But at least they can reach the top shelf of the cupboard for us,” quipped Ms Rayner.

Florrie, from Corby, Northamptonshire, was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer called acute myeloid leukaemia when she was five.

Following a bone marrow transplant in 2022, Florrie was pronounced cancer-free - but she faced another setback when her donor cells started attacking tissue in her lungs.

Now awaiting a lung transplant, she spends time raising money and awareness to help other children battling through cancer through her charity Be More Fab.

“Florrie’s an incredibly amazing girl, she’s absolutely adorable,” Ms Rayner told her parents, Stacey and Andy. “Children who go through adversity, there’s something about their personalities and their resilience that is just so amazing.”

As the deputy PM walked away, cheeky Florrie asked: “What’s that lady’s job? Is she the Prime Minister’s friend?”

was also full of praise for the winners.

“Did you enjoy last night? It was amazing, wasn’t it,” Mr Starmer told them. “For us, the ordinary members of the public, coming in to watch, it’s so inspirational.”

He has agreed to meet with Hetti Barkworth-Nanton and Diana Parkes, recipients of the Special Recognition award for their tireless work campaigning for children living in domestic abuse situations, to discuss what they are doing further.

“I’ve been waiting a long time for that conversation,” said Hetti, who, along with Diana, founded the Joanna Simpson Foundation after Diana’s daughter, who was her best friend, was murdered by her husband in 2010. “We’re going to make it happen, I won’t let go of that one. We need full reform of the murder law, that’s what we were telling him (Keir Starmer).” Of her award, she said: “It’s such a privilege, but it also means we can raise the bar in terms of the conversation. I dedicate this to Jo and to all the other women who have been killed. It’s so important we keep talking about this.”

Molly Leonard, who overcame an eating disorder with the help of mindful crafting, said she had no idea that James Corden would be presenting her with her King’s Trust Young Achiever award.

“I actually spoke to James beforehand, telling him what I do, and little did I know that he was going to be presenting my award and already knew all of it!”

A long-term Gavin and Stacey fan, Molly lives just minutes away from where James’ show is filmed in Barry, south Wales.

“Traffic’s been awful recently [while the special is being filmed], I was going to say to him, ‘You’re the reason I’m late!’” she laughed.

Former midwife Agnes Nisbett, who danced on stage when she was presented with her Community Hero award, smiled as she took in the atmosphere inside No10 and munched on a Downing Street pastry.

The 87-year-old’s story had brought tears to the eyes of everyone in the audience at the ceremony as she recalled giving birth to her stillborn son John in 1973.

“Everyone in the audience looked so sad, and so I thought, you know what, let me do something to make them laugh,” she said.

Describing the ceremony as “absolutely brilliant,” she added: “I can’t believe I’m here. It truly is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

Michelle Tolley, who along with Andy Evans and Jason Evans received the Special Recognition award for their campaign on behalf of the contaminated blood scandal, still had glitter in her hair from the night before.

“I thought, ‘Why not put a bit of sparkle into the government?’” she laughed.

Recalling the previous night’s star-studded show, she said: “It’s funny, there’s so many inspirational people in the room and you don’t realise until you’re up on stage that you’re actually one of those people as well.

“Standing up there and being able to say, ‘this is for everyone that’s been affected, everyone who passed without the recognition. This is the award for you.’ I feel really humbled and honoured to be put in that position and to be able to pass that message on that there are still people out there affected but undiagnosed.”

When Michelle got the call to say she had won a Pride of Britain award, she thought it was a wind-up.

“I said, ‘There’s loads more people out there more deserving than me!’ I was very proud to have been nominated. Thanks to the , and TSB for recognising all these amazing people from all walks of life, from all ages from very young to old, and for the memory of a lifetime.”

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