British Citizen Youth Award for Bolsover teenager who has overcome challenges to raise £10,000 for charities

Hayden Hudson, 13, of Moor Lane, Bolsover will be presented with a British Citizen Youth Award at the Palace of Westminster on October 12, 2023.

Bolsover School pupil Hayden, who has Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorder and learning difficulties, has raised £10,000 for charities through physical challenges over the past five years.

His sponsored bike rides, swimming and running have supported the Macmillan cancer unit and Nightingale children’s ward at Chesterfield Royal Hospital, Sands baby loss charity, Bluebell Wood children’s hospice, Sheffield Children’s Hospital, Bolsover’s Freedom Community Project food bank, Cleft Lip and Palate Association and Bolsover Parish Church.

Hayden will be among 24 young people who have made a positive impact on their community to be presented with the award.

His mum Tracey said: “He is very blase about it. When I told him about the award, he smiled but I don’t think he took it in properly. The excitement for him is having a day off school and going on a bus tour around London.”

Hayden will be accompanied to the ceremony by his mum and two guests – Katie White, his swimming teacher since he was four years old and Alan Wilkinson, a presenter on Elastic FM, who is a friend of the family.

Tracey said: "I’ve known about the award for a few weeks but there’s been a press embargo. It’s really been eating at me not to be able to share it with everyone until today.

“I nominated him in about February this year and honestly thought the awards were in June. I didn’t hear anything, June came and went, and then I got this email three weeks ago saying congratulations, Hayden’s been successful, he will be honoured with a British Citizen Youth Award. I cried because I’m so proud.”

Last year Hayden won a Child of Britain Award and an Elastics FM Community Heroes Award. In 2021 he received a Points of Light Award and letter from prime minister Boris Johnson and the Bishop of Derby Award. He was honoured with both the Peak FM Young Fundraiser Award and Bolsover District Council’s Special Recognition Award in 2019.

Hayden’s bedroom wall is decorated with dozens of medals that he has won for swimming. He is passionate about the sport and has aspirations to represent Team GB at the Olympics. Hayden trains seven times a week, often taking to the pool at 5.15am.

Many of his fundraising activities are sponsored swims and in one he swam 44 miles over the course of two weeks. He undertook a triathlon this year with a bike ride of more than 18 miles from Bolsover to Chatsworth, to raise money for Bluebell Wood children’s hospice.

Tracey said: “I think his next fundraiser will be in May. It will probably be swimming as he has overshot his bike now and at the minute, I can’t afford a new one.

"He wants to stick to raising money for children’s charities. I know that they have opened a new A&E for children and child assessment unit at Chesterfield Royal Hospital so I’ve been in touch to see if there’s anything that they want to raise funds for.”