Harry Smith - a 13-year-old boy from St Albans - is set to receive an award from the Prime Minister for his fundraising efforts following the tragic death of his sister.
Honouring his sister Emily, Harry has raised over £30,000 for The Brain Tumour Charity and has vowed to carry out a fundraising challenge every April.
In August 2022, Emily sadly passed away at the age of eight, two weeks after an MRI scan revealed that she had a brain tumour.
Referring to the month as 'Active April', Harry swam a mile in 2023, climbed Scafell Pike and cycled 75km from Addenbrooke’s hospital, where Emily received her treatment, to his home.
This year, the teenager was inspired by his parents running the London Marathon, and took it upon himself to swim the length of a marathon in a 25 metre pool over 26 days.
As well as his April challenges, Harry has raised money by completing ‘No Junk January’ and taking part in the charity’s ‘Challenge 88’ and ‘Twilight Walk’ events.
Alongside his parents, Harry completed a 192 mile walk from St Bees, Cumbria to Robin Hood’s Bay, North Yorkshire, raising over £12,000 for the charity Tom’s Trust.
The family also created a fundraising page to raise over £30,000 to decorate the X-ray room at Addenbrooke’s Hospital.
Harry said: “I am so grateful to be receiving this Point of Light award in memory of my sister, Emily.
“I miss my sister so much and would not wish this grief on anyone, which is the reason I fundraise so that nobody else has to go through what we are going through.
“Fundraising will always be a part of my life and I will continue to push on to help find a cure for brain tumours like Emily’s.”
Harry's parents, Sarah and Andy, added: “We are so very proud of Harry’s achievements and how he is channelling his grief for Emily into trying his best to make a difference.
"He is really determined to see more research being done to find a cure for brain tumours like his sister’s.
“The energy he has for the physical challenges he has chosen is so inspiring and keeps us both trying as hard as we can too.
“He was the best brother to Emily and fundraising is a way of keeping her memory alive. She would be so proud of Harry receiving this award.
“Thank you for recognising Harry’s efforts. It’s so important that young people can feel they can contribute and influence change just as much as adults.”
READ MORE ABOUT HARRY
Helen Clements, interim director of fundraising at The Brain Tumour Charity, commented: “We are indebted to Harry and his family who have channelled the heartache caused by losing Emily to a brain tumour into helping others.
“Not only has Harry raised a huge amount of awareness and money for The Brain Tumour Charity, but he has done so at such a young age and the challenges he has completed have been exceptional.
"As such, he is a very worthy winner of this Points of Light Award. On behalf of everyone at The Charity – well done Harry!”
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