Amputee who ‘Hopped’ up Whitby’s 199 Steps Nominated for Outstanding Courage Award

An amputee who ‘hopped’ to the top of Whitby’s famous 199 steps to raise money for charity has been nominated for her outstanding courage after surviving a horror tractor crash.

Lucie Maguire feared she would die when she was hit by a tractor and dragged along the road under its 10-tonne trailer in North Yorkshire on 27 January 2021, aged just 19. Her injuries, compared to those suffered by bomb-blast victims in wars, included full amputation of her right leg and pelvis, broken back and internal damage to key organs including her bladder.

Lucie, now 24, of Kirkby Malzeard, near Ripon, spent 518 days in Leeds General Infirmary (LGI) and feared she would never sit up or walk again. But on 27 January 2026 she climbed the famous Whitby’s 199 Steps on one leg in a challenge she affectionately named ‘From trauma to triumph: Lucie’s hop to the top’, raising more than £15,000 for charity Day One Trauma Support.

Now, both Lucie and Day One, have been nominated in the Yorkshire Choice Awards.

Lucie is nominated for The Rob Burrow Outstanding Courage Award, while Day One Trauma Support is nominated in the Charitable Excellence Award category.

Fellow Day One supporter Elliott Teal, 14, of Wakefield is also nominated for Local Fundraiser of the Year after completing the Yorkshire Three Peaks in June in aid of Day One. Elliott’s family was supported by the charity after his sister Lily-Mae West broke 15 bones in her skull in a freak zorbing accident in February 2023.

Day One Trauma Support helps people affected by serious and life-changing injuries through its national online and phoneline service, and bedside support in seven Major Trauma Centres, including in Leeds where Lucie was treated. The charity, which has a growing community of peer support volunteers, provides practical, emotional and financial support to major trauma survivors, including people injured in road crashes, falls from height, stabbings and work and sporting accidents.

All three now rely on the public vote if they are to win.

Lucie Maguire, of North Yorkshire, said:

"I was really surprised to be nominated for this award alongside some other incredible people.

I'm so grateful and honoured to be recognised, especially alongside Day One Trauma Support as the charity means so much to me.

I was over the moon to raise more than £15,000 for them through my 199 step challenge and it would mean so much to me if people would vote for me and Day One in the Yorkshire Choice Awards."

Lucy Nickson, CEO of Day One Trauma Support, said:

“We’re absolutely thrilled for Day One to be nominated for an award, which would mean so much to our charity if we were to win.

We’re so proud of our community of volunteers and fundraisers and couldn’t be happier for Elliott Teal and Lucie Maguire to be nominated too. It would mean so much to all the people we support after life-changing injuries if you could vote for us in the Yorkshire Choice Awards.”

Elliott Teal, 14, of Stanley, Wakefield, said:

“It was a privilege to take on my fundraising challenge and raise money for such an incredible charity. It was a challenging hike, with so many different weathers, but I’m so proud I got to the finish line and raised money for a charity that supported my family.”

Mum Katie West, said:

“We are so incredibly proud of Elliott for giving something back to Day One through fundraising, and for being a big support for his sister Lily-Mae. Elliott is kind and thoughtful in everything he does, which is why he wanted to fundraise to help other people who have experienced serious and life-changing injuries. We hope people will get behind him and vote."

To vote for Lucie, Day One Trauma Support, and Elliott in the Yorkshire Choice Awards visit https://www.yorkshirechoiceawards.co.uk/vote. Voting closes on Sunday 1 March 2026.

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