Two awards have been dedicated in honour of a young woman who was beaten to death in a Bacup park and her mother who started a charity against hate crime in her memory. 

The 'Sophie Lancaster Upstander Award' and 'Sylvia Lancaster Upstander Award' will recognise those individuals or organisations that work to support young people who are at risk through the No2H8 Crime Awards.

The national ceremony was established in 2016, as the National Hate Crime Awards, to reward upstanding individuals who have contributed toward the cohesion of different communities within the UK through the tackling of hatred and prejudice.

Sophie Lancaster, 20, and her boyfriend were attacked by teenagers in a park in Rossendale in 2007.

Sophie died 13 days after being beaten by Herbert and Brendan Harris as she tried to protect Robert Maltby from the attack in Stubbylee Park.

The police said the attack may have been linked to the couple wearing gothic fashion and being members of the goth subculture.

Her mother Sylvia founded the Sophie Lancaster Foundation, and was appointed an OBE for her campaign work.

On April 12, 2022, Sylvia Lancaster died in Royal Blackburn Hospital suddenly after suffering with an illness.

Sophie's death also inspired a storyline on Coronation Street highlighting the dangers of hate crime.

The aims and objectives of the charity are: to create a lasting legacy to Sophie, to provide educational group-works that will challenge the prejudice and intolerance towards people from alternative subcultures, and to campaign to have the UK Hate Crime legislation extended to include people from alternative subcultures.

Donations were sent from all around the world, with gigs and fundraising events also set up as people found a host of ways to show their support for Sophie and make a stand against violence and intolerance. 

A statement from the founder of the No2H8 Crime Awards said: "History has taught us that in times of extreme pressure on living resources, hate and intolerance rises. This is also why we believe that the No2H8 Awards have a central role in supporting two core themes.

"The first is to celebrate those ‘unsung’ heroes in our communities who tirelessly challenge or educate against hate and who have never been recognised. The second is to re-energise the family of organisations who work daily in the area of monitoring and challenging hatred and prejudice.

"I am therefore proud of the No2H8 Awards at this time, when so many of us seek stronger bonds between ourselves. If the pandemic has taught us anything, it is that we cannot thrive without each other."

Nominations close on October 20, and you can vote by searching the No2H8 Crime Awards.