The son of a murdered soldier has won a prestigious award after raising more than £100,000 for charity.
13-year-old Jack Rigby, the son of Royal Fusilier Lee Rigby – who was killed on the way to his barracks in May 2013 – has won a Daily Mirror Pride of Britain Award after raising tens of thousands of pounds for Lynn charity Scotty’s Little Soldiers.
Jack and his mum Rebecca, from Halifax, attended a prestigious ceremony at London’s Grosvenor House hotel, where Jack picked up the Good Morning Britain Young Fundraiser of the Year prize.
Jack was given the news ahead of the event, with a special surprise from celebrities Ant and Dec.
Since his dad’s death when he was two years old, Jack has been supported by Scotty’s Little Soldiers – and to mark the tenth anniversary of Lee’s death, Jack took on Scotty’s May Marathon challenge to honour his dad’s memory and raise money for bereaved British Forces children.
He walked 26.2 miles throughout the month and set himself a target to raise £10,000 – £1,000 for every year without his dad. However, after overwhelming support from the British public, Jack raised more than £50,000.
Jack’s ambition was then to raise £100,000 for Scotty’s, as the charity means so much to him.
He took on another challenge, Scotty’s March, last month, where he walked 10km and his fundraising page reached £55,000.
However, on the evening of the Pride of Britain Awards, hosts Carol Vorderman and Ashley Banjo surprised Jack with donations from TSB, Pride of Britain and GoFundMe, plus £12,000 from generous Daily Mirror readers.
Dragon’s Den star Duncan Bannatyne was in the audience and boosted Jack’s funds with a further £20,000, taking the total to over £107,000.
Jack said: “I can’t quite believe everything that has happened. It feels like a dream.
“Scotty’s has always been there for me and I wanted to give something back. I thought the fundraiser would be a good way to do something positive in Dad’s name.
“I never expected to raise so much, and I never imagined I’d win an award and get the chance to meet so many incredible people.
“It means a lot to me and I’m so grateful to everyone who has shown their support. I’m so happy that I’ve helped to raise funds and awareness for Scotty’s.”
Scotty’s Little Soldiers is a tri-service charity dedicated to supporting children and young people who have experienced the death of a parent who served in the British Armed Forces.
Charity founder Nikki Scott, who also attended the Pride of Britain Awards, said: “We are so proud of Jack for everything he has achieved.
“He has shown such determination to give back to Scotty’s and the funds raised will enable us to make a difference to the lives of hundreds of children and young people who, like Jack, have experienced the death of a parent who served in the British Armed Forces.
“The awareness is also incredible and I hope we can reach more children who may not be getting the support they need.
“We are so grateful to everyone who has got behind Scotty’s and is helping us to ensure that bereaved military children and young people don’t feel alone.”
Scotty’s currently has over 600 members and services offered include access to child bereavement support, guidance to parents and carers, personal education and learning assistance, and fun activities such as holiday respite breaks and group events.
The Daily Mirror Pride of Britain Awards with TSB will be televised this Thursday at 8pm, on ITV & ITVX.
To donate to Jack’s fundraiser, go to: https://scottyslittlesoldiers.enthuse.com/pf/jack-rigby
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