:00:10. > :00:16.of the awards. Hello and welcome. We are here for
:00:16. > :00:20.the young citizen a words 2013, being presented as part of rotary's
:00:20. > :00:24.annual conference, coming this year from the Harrogate International
:00:24. > :00:29.Centre. It is the 7th year of these are words, honouring the
:00:29. > :00:33.achievements of a very special group of young people, who have all
:00:33. > :00:37.done something extraordinary, either excelling in the face of it
:00:37. > :00:43.bursary or going out of the way to help others. Rotary clubs across
:00:43. > :00:48.Great Britain and Northern Ireland at nominating. Over the next half-
:00:48. > :00:52.hour, you would hear some truly inspirational stories. Our first a
:00:52. > :00:56.word goes to 15-year-old Grace O'Malley from Lancashire, who has
:00:56. > :01:02.used her soprano voice to raise tens of thousands of bounds for
:01:02. > :01:12.charity. She was nominated by her local Rotary Club. Here is her
:01:12. > :01:13.
:01:13. > :01:18.story. Every song she sings has a special significance for 15-year-
:01:18. > :01:24.old Grace O'Malley. She started singing lessons at the age of six
:01:24. > :01:27.and is determined to use her vocal talent for the benefit of others.
:01:27. > :01:34.Here she is rehearsing for an ex servicemen's then her taking place
:01:34. > :01:38.later this month. Grace has raised more than �50,000 for various
:01:38. > :01:48.charities, including the Royal British Legion, of which she has
:01:48. > :02:06.
:02:06. > :02:11.She is a lovely singer and a great asset to the British Legion. It is
:02:11. > :02:21.a beautiful CD - absolutely beautiful. She has recorded a CD to
:02:21. > :02:22.
:02:22. > :02:32.raise funds for a hospice in Burnley, which has so far raised
:02:32. > :02:34.
:02:34. > :02:40.It made me cry! It did. Such a big boys from such a little girl. She
:02:40. > :02:50.is marvellous. What do we want to raise at this one? She is also
:02:50. > :02:51.
:02:51. > :03:01.helping the charity - as they get a charity for childhood -- she is
:03:01. > :03:02.
:03:02. > :03:07.also helping a charity for child had cancer. I attended a
:03:07. > :03:13.remembrance service locally. She sang abide With Me. You can tell it
:03:13. > :03:18.affects me deeply. Since then we have become great friends. She has
:03:18. > :03:28.even adopted me as a grandad. I am very grateful for that. She has
:03:28. > :03:31.
:03:31. > :03:36.given me a new lease of life. You Grace O'Malley is here with me now.
:03:36. > :03:41.You have got the stunning voice. You are going to sing for us later.
:03:41. > :03:49.There were not be a drier it in- house. It is beautiful. When did
:03:49. > :03:54.you realise you could sing like that -- at a dry eye in the house.
:03:54. > :04:00.Whitey want to use your talent to help others? I love the raising
:04:00. > :04:08.money for charity. I love singing. -- I love raising money. Putting
:04:08. > :04:11.them together, I really enjoyed doing it. All these charities, I
:04:11. > :04:16.love raising money for them because they're so worthwhile. I would
:04:16. > :04:21.raise money for any charity. what was your reaction of being
:04:21. > :04:30.made an honorary member of the Royal British Legion? I am really
:04:30. > :04:37.honoured am proud. Tummy about the song she saying? -- Tamayo. Either
:04:37. > :04:43.people ask me to sing the songs and I love singing them. It is for a
:04:43. > :04:50.different charity or person to dedicate it to. You can see how
:04:50. > :04:59.affected people are by you seeing as Charles Ted is welling up. How
:04:59. > :05:05.do people react? I do feel proud and also it I feel sad sometimes
:05:05. > :05:13.when I see people cry. I did not want to make you cry but it is
:05:13. > :05:17.happy tears. You have other ambitions, don't you? I have
:05:17. > :05:21.ambitions in the future. I always want to raise money for charity. I
:05:21. > :05:27.will never stop doing that. Performing at the Albert Hall?
:05:27. > :05:37.would love to do that. I am sure it will happen. Congratulations on
:05:37. > :05:38.
:05:38. > :05:42.your reward. Thank you for speaking Our next aboard when they just
:05:43. > :05:48.missed out on representing Great Britain and the London 2012
:05:48. > :05:53.Paralympic Games. -- award winner. Lauren Jones won her award for
:05:53. > :06:00.being an inspiration to many young people. She has overcome adversity
:06:00. > :06:05.to become ranked world number one in junior girls will chair - is
:06:05. > :06:10.that a wheelchair tennis. 17-year- old junior wheelchair tennis
:06:10. > :06:14.champion Laurent Jones has come a long way since an accident left her
:06:14. > :06:21.paralysed from the waist down. She broke her back when she fell 25 ft
:06:21. > :06:27.from a tree in June, 2009. I fell from a tree and hit a branch on the
:06:27. > :06:31.way down. It snapped my spine in half about halfway down my back. I
:06:31. > :06:39.was rushed to hospital. I was told a would never walk again when I
:06:39. > :06:45.became conscious. -- I would never walk again. I was put on a spinal
:06:46. > :06:51.rehabilitation unit to get my independence. I was selected for
:06:51. > :06:56.having some talent like some athletic ability, as I picked up a
:06:56. > :07:01.lot of the wheelchair skills quite quickly. Now ranked number one in
:07:01. > :07:05.the world in junior girls a wheelchair tennis. Her story is
:07:05. > :07:11.fantastic. She had not played Test before her accident and had not
:07:11. > :07:16.been in a wheelchair either. -- played tennis. She had to learn
:07:16. > :07:21.tennis and also will chair skills as well. To get where she is is
:07:21. > :07:26.very impressive. How many times have you fallen out of the
:07:26. > :07:30.wheelchair when you started? Quite a few times. Lawrence visits local
:07:30. > :07:36.schools to talk about disability sports and aims to inspire
:07:36. > :07:41.gangsters to take up sport. story is inspirational. -- inspire
:07:41. > :07:45.youngsters. She has managed to cope with the situation really well.
:07:46. > :07:50.did not really know about the Paralympics and that people could
:07:50. > :07:55.do sport. Nine-hour day can and they are really good at it.
:07:55. > :08:00.narrowly missed out on being selected for the 2012 Paralympics.
:08:00. > :08:06.She is on the Rio development programme and is busy training for
:08:06. > :08:12.the next Games in 2016. She is here with us now. Congratulations on
:08:12. > :08:20.your board. It is an incredible story. It was two weeks at real
:08:20. > :08:25.40th birthday get you found out you are not going to walk again. --
:08:25. > :08:30.before your 14th birthday. It did not really feel that real. I was on
:08:30. > :08:36.a lot of drugs I do not really remember that time. It happened so
:08:36. > :08:40.I make the best out of it. Your achievements have been phenomenal.
:08:40. > :08:47.Am I right in thinking you did not play tennis before Andy ticket up
:08:47. > :08:53.latterly? I played football with ambitions for playing for England.
:08:53. > :08:55.Or my aims were about football so it was a bit of a shock. You and
:08:55. > :09:00.add the youngest highest ranked player in the world in women's
:09:00. > :09:04.wheelchair tennis. -- you are the youngest was but that is such an
:09:04. > :09:11.unbelievable achievement in such a short space of time. How do you do
:09:11. > :09:17.it? A lot of hard training. That is getting harder the more I get. I
:09:17. > :09:23.want to get to the top. As we heard in the report, you had to master
:09:23. > :09:27.two skills - will chair and tennis have. It must be incredibly
:09:27. > :09:32.challenging. You change a lot. wanted to get on and get out of
:09:32. > :09:37.hospital as quick as possible. That was what a picked up in hospital.
:09:37. > :09:43.It was Lenin had to develop my skills and use them for 10 S. -- it
:09:43. > :09:48.was learning how to develop my skills and use them for tennis.
:09:48. > :09:53.do you think it is important to change attitudes? I was not the way
:09:53. > :09:59.she could get high in sport 20 a disabled. It is about trying to get
:09:59. > :10:04.awareness and get others in my position to help them to achieve.
:10:04. > :10:14.Here is to Rio. You are going to do it. We believe in you. At Bankia
:10:14. > :10:14.
:10:14. > :10:19.they match -- thank you very much. It is estimated there are 700,000
:10:19. > :10:26.young carers in the UK. CJ and Becky are among those and were
:10:26. > :10:29.nominated by the Rotary Club of Cardiff East. They received their
:10:29. > :10:36.joint aboard a local community radio to give support to 600 other
:10:36. > :10:41.youngsters who are in a similar situation in the area. We have a
:10:41. > :10:47.jam-packed share. This will be tight. Christopher-John Nation and
:10:47. > :10:52.Becki Holder take to the airwaves were their weekly show on Radio
:10:52. > :10:56.Cardiff. Those present a young carers showed during carers Week in
:10:56. > :11:03.June. Their aim is to raise awareness about the situation young
:11:03. > :11:13.carers find themselves in. How much time do spend a day on Twitter?
:11:13. > :11:22.
:11:22. > :11:26.a lot. CJ became a young carer at the age of six. It has been really
:11:26. > :11:31.difficult. No one wants to have their child looking after them. I
:11:31. > :11:38.like to think it is like being a parent. It comes with a lot of
:11:38. > :11:40.response are billeted. It is a big responsibility. -- a lot of
:11:40. > :11:45.responsibility. We are in a situation which makes us more
:11:45. > :11:48.grown-up than average people our age. Everything my mum would think
:11:48. > :11:58.about. Everything she is under pressure with his in the back of my
:11:58. > :12:01.
:12:01. > :12:07.mind as well. 14-year-old Becki Holder cares for her brother, he is
:12:07. > :12:17.autistic. It is difficult sometimes. I can go mad but I can only go so
:12:17. > :12:17.
:12:17. > :12:26.far in case I have to come back to hope. -- go out. It is hard at
:12:26. > :12:33.times but it is worth it. I love him to pieces. He is adorable.
:12:33. > :12:38.CJ and Becki Holder are members of the Cardiff and Vale Young Carers
:12:38. > :12:42.Interact Club. It supports more than 600 young carers in the local
:12:42. > :12:45.area. CJ and Becky hope that others will listen to their message so
:12:45. > :12:52.there is more understanding and they can improve the lives of other
:12:52. > :12:56.young carers. They are here with me now. Congratulations to both of you.
:12:56. > :13:01.Let's talk about life as a young carer. How difficult is that
:13:01. > :13:06.reality? Every young care has a different situation to deal with. I
:13:06. > :13:10.cannot speak for anyone else. I had been in my situation since it was
:13:10. > :13:13.really young. I'm getting used to it. The most difficult part of
:13:13. > :13:20.being a young carer is the transition. It can be very
:13:20. > :13:26.difficult changing from being what you think is normal. A charge with
:13:26. > :13:32.no responsibilities to a chart with loads of responsibilities. -- ate a
:13:32. > :13:39.child. Does it take a toll on your life? It does in some senses. Ethan
:13:39. > :13:44.is my brother. It is normal. It can restrict where ago. If I want to go
:13:44. > :13:51.out, I will only go so far in case I have to come back. It is about
:13:51. > :13:58.being a pair before you are ready. Awareness is really key. -- at a
:13:59. > :14:02.parent. I need to keep Ethan safe. It must be quite isolating. That is
:14:03. > :14:10.where you have done really good work. The radio show has helped to
:14:10. > :14:16.raise awareness. The Interact club is the place where young carers
:14:16. > :14:20.gather to socialise with each other. We get along better and can
:14:20. > :14:24.socialise more easily. It is about a bit young people meeting others
:14:24. > :14:30.in that situation and realising it is OK to feel like this and feel
:14:30. > :14:35.fed up. If you talk to your friends that are not young carers, it is
:14:35. > :14:40.like they do not understand. It is about knowing they are there and
:14:40. > :14:44.they understand. What do you want to do moving forward from here? Is
:14:44. > :14:51.there more good work to be done? want to keep up what I'm doing.
:14:51. > :14:56.Would like to have a pee and carers doing the same thing. -- I would
:14:56. > :15:01.like to help other young carers are doing the same thing. What message
:15:01. > :15:07.which you had to others who are finding it tough going? I would say,
:15:07. > :15:14.keep up the good work. I do not know really. Try not to feel that
:15:14. > :15:24.you are alone. It deals with isolation as well. It helped us a
:15:24. > :15:32.
:15:33. > :15:37.Our next winner was called an excellent role model by her
:15:37. > :15:45.Roderick up all coaster for the. It is one of the many reasons billy
:15:45. > :15:55.Milton is receiving this award, after she had involvement in
:15:55. > :16:03.
:16:03. > :16:10.Ecuador's epic project. She has managed to turn her life around
:16:10. > :16:14.after difficulty. She has developed and blossomed remarkably. She keen
:16:14. > :16:19.ear when she was 10. Her mother had just been diagnosed with breast
:16:19. > :16:23.cancer and then sadly died soon after that. Our dad got lost in
:16:23. > :16:27.drug addiction and ended up in prison, so she was really on her
:16:27. > :16:32.own. The family split up and went off to live with different
:16:32. > :16:38.relatives. We were a great support to her and that is why she has put
:16:38. > :16:46.so much into the project, because it she recognised how much it did
:16:46. > :16:51.for her. I was in the project since my mum died. I was quite a violent
:16:51. > :16:57.person. I did not make friends a lot, because I was really angry all
:16:57. > :17:04.the time, but here, it was a safe environment to make friends and try
:17:04. > :17:11.and be like everyone else, rather than excluding myself. I now feel
:17:12. > :17:21.confident to stand up with everyone else and say, Harlow, how are you?
:17:21. > :17:26.Billy has been a youth volunteer with the project since she was 16.
:17:26. > :17:36.They were selected to sing in the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic
:17:36. > :17:42.Games, and she was one of there volunteer tutors, who help the
:17:42. > :17:48.children feel confident and be at ease. She is determined to get used
:17:48. > :17:53.her difficult experience as a child to help others. Just knowing from
:17:53. > :18:03.my past how bad it is, how horrible the City reaction is, I do not want
:18:03. > :18:05.
:18:05. > :18:11.other people to have to go through it. She is here with us now. It has
:18:11. > :18:21.been a difficult journey it for you. How do you think you have changed?
:18:21. > :18:21.
:18:21. > :18:25.I don't know. I am a lot more easy to get on with and I was.
:18:25. > :18:33.mentioned anger. McMaster been difficult to process that as a
:18:33. > :18:38.young person. I used to get into fights, it so I have been to are
:18:38. > :18:46.again -- anger management, to help the stock lashing out, especially
:18:46. > :18:52.at my family. But you have come so far. It was not easy to overcome
:18:52. > :19:00.that. You must be proud of yourself. Yes, but I have done it with
:19:00. > :19:06.everyone around me. But here are the primary reason. Tell us about
:19:06. > :19:11.cheery young life. Obviously very difficult, you lost your mother.
:19:11. > :19:18.Yes, my mum died when I was 10 or a couple of days before Christmas, so
:19:18. > :19:26.it was a rubbish Christmas present. But I had my little sister. How did
:19:26. > :19:29.the project help here at the time? I became a member and it was a safe
:19:29. > :19:36.environment, there were people I could talk to, at place where
:19:36. > :19:41.everyone was safe, so we could all talk to each other and make friends.
:19:41. > :19:49.Then I joined in singing. And now you're helping others. How does
:19:49. > :19:55.that feel? It feels good. It is a nice feeling helping others. The
:19:55. > :20:00.children feel they can talk to me more than an adult. You have done
:20:00. > :20:10.so much to be proud of, not least getting this our work. Thank you
:20:10. > :20:13.
:20:13. > :20:18.for letting us top to year. -- a talk to you. Our final a word goes
:20:18. > :20:22.to a youth forum, a group of youngsters to campaign to get their
:20:22. > :20:32.youth centre opened again after spending cuts. They are nominated
:20:32. > :20:34.
:20:34. > :20:42.by the Rotary Club of Wantage. love it so much. It is so rewarding,
:20:42. > :20:46.seeing what we're doing but the young people in their area. It is
:20:46. > :20:51.about helping young people grow through the horrible teenage years
:20:51. > :20:57.and grow into young adults, and it's just educating people. That is
:20:57. > :21:02.what we're here for. We're concentrating on getting the young
:21:02. > :21:08.ones up and doing sporty activities. For concentrating on getting them
:21:08. > :21:15.up here, so they're not making trouble elsewhere. The state and
:21:15. > :21:19.says youth workers are here to help teenagers in any way they can.
:21:19. > :21:26.Teenagers adhere to have fun and teacher youth workers how to do
:21:26. > :21:36.their job. We recruit 16 teenagers every year and realistically, they
:21:36. > :21:36.
:21:36. > :21:43.all become my ex-boss. I help set up. We have a list of things that
:21:43. > :21:53.that you do, you might be on the coffee bar or in the hall. I did a
:21:53. > :21:59.presentation in front of the county council. Now we're being funded by
:21:59. > :22:06.the school and part of the council. I think everyone in Wantage knows
:22:06. > :22:13.about us, which is good. Especially the younger people. There are a lot
:22:13. > :22:17.of people out there and teenagers who will actively go out and try to
:22:17. > :22:22.it improves the committee, which the media do not focus on. It is to
:22:22. > :22:28.make it to get out and shall we are interested and we can help.
:22:28. > :22:31.seems to be that lots of kids now want to come and join, because they
:22:31. > :22:41.won't be able to set an example to the community. Ross of them are
:22:41. > :22:43.
:22:43. > :22:50.very very good kids round here. Once stage, we have 13 members of
:22:50. > :22:56.the Union ready to talk to us. Congratulations to all if it and
:22:56. > :23:02.you see, thank you for chatting to us. Tell us about the union, why is
:23:02. > :23:09.it important? The meat once a month and decide what will call on, what
:23:09. > :23:13.activities they will change or at on to the rota. They have the
:23:13. > :23:17.committee's, and Neighbourhood Action Group where we had
:23:17. > :23:24.representatives to talk to the communities people and prove that
:23:24. > :23:30.teenagers are not all bad. It looks a right so much fun. How does it
:23:30. > :23:39.operate? Because you run it yourself as. Yes, we'll meet once a
:23:39. > :23:49.month and through that, we delegate to OPs to each other. We offer
:23:49. > :23:53.advice to young people. Tammy about the work duty in the community. --
:23:53. > :23:59.tell me about the work you do in the community. Somebody said in
:23:59. > :24:06.that report, nobody knows young people at like young people. That
:24:06. > :24:11.is so true, you can reach out to the community. That is completely
:24:11. > :24:21.true. We tell them they are not all bad and some of us had been helping
:24:21. > :24:27.
:24:27. > :24:33.out five years. We eat a have a little buddy, who is driving it up.
:24:33. > :24:38.They learn the ways of the Union and they help us. You wear a closed
:24:39. > :24:43.for a short while. How did you get up and running it again? We work
:24:43. > :24:51.close because of cuts, but we campaigned and raised a lot of
:24:51. > :24:58.money. But thanks to it the Academy for helping us to stay open.
:24:58. > :25:08.Congratulate shins to all of you. Thank you far talking to us. Well
:25:08. > :25:14.
:25:14. > :25:17.Congratulations to all this year's winners. Trying us now is the
:25:17. > :25:24.president of motor a International of Great Britain and Northern
:25:24. > :25:30.Ireland. What he make-up what you have seen today? I think it is
:25:30. > :25:36.fantastic. These young people are doing fabulous work. The only
:25:36. > :25:43.challenge for us is to choose the top five. I was wondering about
:25:43. > :25:52.that, how do they choose? Year after year, I am amazed. Howard you
:25:52. > :26:00.pick the winners? It is one of the most difficult jobs. Does it get
:26:00. > :26:05.heated? Sometimes. We are very grateful to the BBC for its
:26:05. > :26:12.supporting this project. Do you think this is an important part of
:26:12. > :26:16.the work you do in this country? The it is a very important part. Be
:26:16. > :26:19.have the biggest non-governmental education project in the world,
:26:19. > :26:26.from primary school level to postgraduates studies. This is
:26:26. > :26:33.helping to form good citizens and future leaders. Acted very much.