Mum who lost baby son and husband five days apart honoured with Pride of Britain Award

  • Watch: Video report by ITV Wales reporter, Kate Lewis


A woman who set up a bereavement charity after she lost her baby son and husband within five days of each other is to be honoured at the Pride of Britain Awards.

Rhian Mannings who set up the charity 2 Wish Upon A Star will receive a Special Recognition Award with NHS front-line staff, footballer-turned-food campaigner Marcus Rashford, and charity fundraiser Captain Sir Tom Moore also being honoured.

Rhian launched 2 Wish Upon A Star, to support others suffering from the sudden loss of a child or young person. Credit: Pride of Britain
Rhian Mannings pictured with husband Paul and son George.

In February 2012, Rhian's son George suffered a sudden seizure.

He passed away shortly after arriving in hospital and it was later found he had been suffering from bronchial pneumonia and Type A influenza.

Husband Paul, 33, took his own life five days later after suffering with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Rhian launched 2 Wish Upon A Star, to support others suffering from the sudden loss of a child or young person, giving them the help she and Paul never had.

The charity is operates family rooms in hospitals and offers counselling to support people after a sudden bereavement.

Marcus Rashford will also receive a Special Recognition Award. Credit: Pride of Britain



The awards have been presented by a host of famous faces including the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, David Beckham and TV duo Ant and Dec.

While the pre-recorded show is broadcast next Sunday evening, landmarks across London, including the London Eye, BT Tower and County Hall, will be lit up in red, white and blue in celebration of the winners.

Carol Vorderman attending the the 2019 Pride of Britain Awards. Credit: PA

Host Carol Vorderman said the winners "are the perfect representation of the way the nation has pulled together in 2020".

She added: "People have faced challenges unlike anything we could have imagined, but we have all helped each other through them, and that is what Pride of Britain is all about. 

"And it is what our winners are all about too. From a six-year-old schoolboy to a 100-year-old war hero, and from a young mum to an England footballer, they have all gone to extreme lengths to put other people first. That is a wonderful thing, and it makes this such a special show."