Local lad, Louis Johnson of Tettenhall Wood, made the journey to London on Tuesday to receive a British Citizen Youth Award (BCyA) in its inaugural year.
The BCyA is awarded to 20 young people for the exceptional impact that they have on their communities. Louis received his medal from Grammy nominated artist Kimberly Wyatt of the Pussycat Dolls for his fundraising work in aid of local charities such as Compton Hospice and Promise Dreams.
Louis in London with his BCyA medalPrior to receiving the award, Louis’s mother, Teresa Johnson, told us
“Louis is over the moon about it and so excited about the lap of honour tour of London & we are so proud of Louis and all his does for others. He can’t wait to show his medal off to everyone and bring it home to Wolverhampton which he is proud to be part of.”
The British Citizen Youth Award website has this to say about Louis:
Louis Johnson
9-year-old Louis, has spent over half of his young life committed to raising funds for three worthy causes. Each cause capable of making a significant difference to people’s lives. During the past five years Louis has raised funds for his local hospice that cares for the terminally ill, for Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY Wolves), and for the West Midlands Air Ambulance. Louis has undertaken several activities including sponsored walks, manned stalls, made cakes, cards and jewellery all to raise funds for these good causes. Louis’s fund raising efforts have directly contributed to CRY being able to screen 14-35 year olds for heart defects using its state-of the-art electrocardiogram (ECG) and echo-cardiogram machines. For the local Air Ambulance, Louis spent a day bucket collecting to raise much needed funds, never once complaining or stopping. He has raised significant sums for the Compton Hospice by undertaking ‘Memory Walks’, a five-mile route where individuals can walk in memory of a loved one. Although he engages in extra curricula activity at school, Louis is committed to raising funds for his causes.