MWOTY 2023 alumni Allison Furlong and Claire Cathcart attended the British Citizen Youth Awards (BCyA) in October as Alfie Fitzsimmons, founder of Alfie’s Squad, and Team 1C supporters Kai Saint and Ava Hughes were recognised as medallists.
Team 1C founder and winner of the MWOTY 2023 Inspirational Women category, Claire, is an ambassador for the awards and received her own British Citizen medal in 2022. Her son Jake was also the youngest ever youth recipient in 2018, aged just three.
Claire nominated Alfie, Kai and Ava for this year’s awards. Ten-year-old Kai was recognised for fundraising for Team 1C since the age of four, most recently abseiling down Anfield stadium with other Team 1C supporters. Ava regularly helps deliver pizzas to families supported by Team 1C and gets involved in all the organisation’s events and fundraising activities.
Alfie was also one of the BCyA Roll of Honour Recipients at the 2024 event. He was recognised for taking action in the wake of losing his Dad to suicide, when he identified the lack of support available nationally for children who have suffered from the loss of a parent through suicide and started ‘Alfie’s Squad’.
The organisation’s mission was to reduce isolation and improve self-worth in children bereaved by suicide. Through community engagement and by raising more than £80,000, Alfie’s Squad is now positively impacting the lives of many children affected by suicide.
The BCyA Medal of Honour is presented to only a small number of exceptional young individuals annually. The British Citizen Youth Award in partnership with Specsavers, is widely viewed as the nation’s way of recognising extraordinary, everyday young people for exceptional endeavour and is open to any person under the age of 18 who is committed to helping others.
We love to see our MWOTY alumni collaborating and nurturing and celebrating the next generation of changemakers – well done to Alfie, Kai and Ava, and thank you Claire and Allison!