2016 Rotary Young Citizen Awards

Now on BBC News: Young people from across the UK have been

honoured for making exceptional contributions to their communities

at the annual Rotary Young Citizen Awards.

Laura Trant has been looking at the highlights.

Bray Street International is one of the largest voluntary organisations,

founded in America to support friendship and philanthropy. Here

are some of the young people who have inspiring stories. The first

wall went to Owen Thurston, who is 17. He was nominated by the Rotary

Club of Oxted. From the age of five, Owen has suffered repeated sieges D2

epilepsy. I've had epilepsy for over ten years now. I want to make a

difference to other people, unattached to young epilepsy, who I

fundraiser for, because there are others who suffer worse than I do.

What difference a year making to their lives as well as yours? I

raise awareness and money for the condition. Hopefully, even if you

don't -- even if you have epilepsy, you don't have two Hideaway, you

can't be judged. You shouldn't be defined by your condition, so I hope

I'm making a difference to those people's lives. I'm here to speak

about Young Epilepsy. Owen is often seen dressing up to raise awareness

about the condition. He has also chosen to let his family film his

seizures. It's difficult having a camera pointing at your son when he

is on the floor, completely unaware of the situation. It's very

difficult. Others must look at me thinking, why aren't you helping

your son? That this is for a diagnosis and a diagnosis what

others as well. I win has raised thousands for the charity young

epilepsy, and become a young epilepsy Ambassador dedicated to

helping people. The next wars went to Bailey Sloan, who will be nine

next month. -- award. How do you feel? Happy. Excited. He was

nominated by Barry, Bailey is making an impact on his hometown, Barry, in

Wales. My name is Bailey Sloan and I've been doing random acts of

kindness for people in the town centre. Free higher - fives for

everyone! I love doing high-fives. Being kind is one of the things I

love to do. I'm Lisa, Bailey's mums. -- ma'am. We are handing out high-

fives we are trying to do this for random acts of kindness. I've been

giving roses to ladies, but I don't have one at the moment. I was

handing out cards. I given one to the police. Bailey has taken

kindness on as part of his identity now, though it's part of his life.

Everywhere we go, he is looking to help out. He's getting along with

people much better now. Bailey has ADHD and is on the artistic spectrum

will stop with the help of his mum, Lisa, he's carried out, first of

all, 100, 200 and now is aiming for 300 random acts of kindness and is

making complete strangers smile was --. Ball gestures. He'd growl at

strangers. He knew they were strangers, so he wasn't very happy.

He might scream and run away. When he was young, he could be

aggressive. It makes a huge difference because people are able

to welcome him, basically, and to get along with him and it's much

easier for him to mix with others. High Bailey! -- high five, Bailey!

Anna Swabey was diagnosed with a Umma range, she was told it was

terminal and it widths mangy Annie had three years to live. I decided

that if I had got three years to lives then I wanted to make the most

out of every second and wanted to make a mark on the world. I wanted

to make a difference. Anna decided to turn her negative situation into

a positive one and do all she could to support others with the same

condition. So far, she has raised more than ?50,000. Anna, it's

wonderful to be able to come here and present you with this trophy.

She was nominated by Newton Aycliffe and had to accept the award last

week. She planned to take part in the Paris Marathon. I'm sorry can't

be a conference today. I'm currently here in Paris. Sadly, she hasn't

been well enough, but 12 of her friends are taking part, and she's

there with them. We are raising funds for the Brain Tumour Research

campaign. I want a massive thank you to the award. I'm so honoured to

have one, and I'd like to extend that banks to the Newton Aycliffe

Rotary Club, who have incredibly sponsored my running friends. The

running best. We have some of them here. As I have said, we've got 12

runners and 13 people in our support team. We have banners and we are

already to go for Sunday. I'm sorry I can't be with you and thank you

very much. 11-year-old Madison Glinski has become a familiar sight,

asking with her piling in her local town, St Ives, in Cornwall. Madison

came up with the idea to raise funds for a local children's Hospice, two

years ago, after making a New Year's revolution -- resolution. Over the

past two years I've raised ?52,600. My next target is 75000 and I want

to keep it going as long as I can. Amazing, what she has done. A

fantastic target -- target. Amazing supporting this girl raising so much

money for children's charity. Green-mac it's for a good cause, so

yeah, well done. Congratulations, Madison. She was nominated by the

Rotary Club of St Ives. I've been busking on the streets of St Ives to

raise money for the harbour Hospice. I wanted to use my music to help

others. I think it is helping other people. I think it will make a big

difference to children and families and their lives, it will make their

lives better for what they've got left. I feel proud that little old

me from Sun Ives, Cornwall, a distant place, is able to win this,

so thank you. Tiverton High School interact club

won their award after coming up with novel ways to raise money, like

using tarantulas to scare teachers. We wanted to start a club where

students could gather with common interests about raising awareness

for different charities, raising money for them as well, and enjoying

themselves in a praises. Scary, not pleasant at all. I didn't realise I

was just a whim! Is it a crab? We had I'm a teacher get me out of it,

based on I'm a celebrity... With the teachers at two different

challenges, with creepy callee 's -- Rawles. Students paid a pound to get

involved and watched their teachers suffer. So you're being cruel to

teachers to raise money? Yes. You could say that! Is it H Arantxa Le?

Whether the money go and what difference does it make? There are

of charities, such as chat, aid for homeless, for people who have lost

their houses in our town. We've seen a lot of difference in our town. The

community really appreciate it. Finally, head of the Paralympic

Games in Riyadh, the new award, Rotary Young Citizen Wheelchair

Sports Award went to 20-year-old Scottish wheelchair racer, Samantha

Kinghorn. Samantha was nominated for this award by the Rotary Club of

dance. It's a supporting -- sporting story of success for the tragic

opening chapter. While helping her father clears snow six years ago,

she was crushed by a truck and paralyse. I knew I had to jump out a

run and I remember counting it out, and thinking, just breed, just

brief. I remember running as fast as I could. I fell and slipped into the

snow, and I remember one of my town starting to curl, and in my muscles,

and I knew that was the last time I would feel my legs again. She's

taken on the world on her wheelchair. Notching up golds, and a

bronze in the IPC World Championships. Now, she's training

for the re-Obama Olympics in 2016. -- reopen. So, you've heard the

stories of the winners. All the stories are very different but they

do have the same meaning, and that's how we can turn challenges into

something positive, and inspire others to make dreams become

achievable. Even the smallest things can make the biggest difference.