British Citizen Awards winners announced
Melanie May | 15 January 2016 | News
A man who has raised thousands for charity after being told he would never walk again has been awarded a British Citizen Award.
Tony Eaton (pictured) was one of 33 January medallists. Over the past 30 years, he has raised funds for various charities, including Cancer Research UK, Macmillan, the British Heart Foundation, Parkinson’s Disease and Help for Heroes, raising tens of thousands of pounds through marathons, half marathons and bike rides.
This is despite an accident in 1979 following which he had to relearn how to walk. He has also undergone more than 36 operations and is in constant pain.
Other medallists include Elspeth Baecke who has dedicated more than 10 years to helping to provide a home for orphans in Malawi, and Harrison Nash, who as devoted the last eight years to helping vulnerable and traumatised children in South Africa.
The British Citizen Awards were launched in January 2015 to recognise exceptional ‘everyday’ people whose achievements in helping others may otherwise be overlooked. The medallists will be honoured at a ceremony on 28th January at the Palace of Westminster. Successful medallists are selected from public nominations by a panel of independent assessors.
Eaton said:
“I vowed that once I had recovered sufficiently from my injuries I would give something back to those that helped me. I was told I would probably never walk again, but after two and a half years I had learnt to walk again and got involved in fundraising walks and runs. When I first found out I had been chosen to receive an award I was very surprised, and it is an absolute honour.”
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About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.