Boy, 13, with kidney disease gets national award

Charlie, 13, has received a British Citizen Youth Award for his charitable efforts

A 13-year-old boy who is in urgent need of a kidney transplant has received a national award after raising £17,000 for charity.

Charlie was diagnosed with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) aged eight, before going into renal failure.

He has now been given a British Citizen Youth Award (BCyA) for his charitable efforts to support kidney charities.

The award honours 24 young people from the UK who have made a positive impact on their communities.

The 13-year-old, from Rutland, managed to raise £17,000 in 16 months, despite experiencing periods of serious illness, including emergency hospital admissions and recovering from operations, along with continued invasive medical treatments.

'Proud of myself'

He took part in sponsored walks and cycles to raise the funds and is now also supporting the Kidney Research UK Christmas Campaign, helping to raise a further £40,000 towards research.

Charlie said he had campaigned so "other children and young people don't have to suffer".

"When I was diagnosed I thought instead of just thinking about myself I should try to help others in their journeys," he said.

He said it was "amazing" to receive the award.

"I feel really proud of myself," he added.

Mike Faulkner, director of BCyA, said: "It is both heartening and uplifting to know that so many young people are consciously contributing to causes such as the environment, climate change activism, ecology, and creating awareness and fundraising for hospitals and charities."