Widnes Rotary nominee, Aidan Jackson, 14 years, was one of the recipients of the above Award and was presented, along with others, at the Rotary Conference in Manchester. The ceremony, presented by Ellie Crisell, was recorded live on the BBC News Channel.

Aidan nominated The Olivia Alice Foundation as the recipient of the £500 prize money.

Aidan, who was diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome in 2011, raised over £16,000 in just two years. His fundraising began when he was 12 yrs of age but then following the death at 15 yrs of his good friend, Olivia Alice Walker, Aidan decided to take on much bigger challenges to raise funds. Olivia had very complex mental and physical needs and the Olivia Alice Foundation was started by her family following her death.

Aidan decided to try and raise money for the foundation in various ways. This included a four mile walk, despite Aidan suffering from Idiopathic Toe-Walking, causing him to only be able to walk on his toes. He swam the equivalent of the English Channel (22 miles) over a period of time at his local swimming baths. Aidan’s biggest logistical challenge involved collecting 10,500 teddy bears from the local community and placing each on a seat at the Widnes Select Stadium, home of the Widnes Vikings Rugby Team, for a £1 per bear donation. Local press and BBC NorthWest covered the event. The teddy bears were distributed to another local charity following the event (Bearly Loved) with many of the smaller teddies being sent off in shoeboxes.

Aidan has now had to put his fundraising on hold as he has to have an operation sometime soon on his Achilles tendons to alleviate his walking problems. He will have both legs in plaster for six weeks.