Award recognition for Banff man after raising more than £20k for cancer charities
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The inaugural Teenage Cancer Trust Awards has seen a young Banff man receive an accolade and royal seal of approval for raising more than £20,000 for the trust and another charity.
Last year, Alex Charlton was just 23 when he was diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma.
Alex was grateful for the support of his Teenage Cancer Trust nurse specialist Amanda Copeland, who was there to guide him through the most difficult time of his life.
Alex, now 24, was given the all-clear in April and was looking forward to moving on with his life, including undertaking a fundraising skydive for Teenage Cancer Trust.
But due to the coronavirus pandemic everything is on hold. Instead, he moved home to shield alongside his mum, as she has a disability caused by an aneurysm.
He’s now focused on the future and getting life back to normal as soon as he can.
One of the things that Alex struggled with most emotionally was losing his hair. As it started to fall out and become patchy, he decided to turn a negative into a positive and use it as an opportunity to help other people with cancer.
He managed to get 40 of his family, friends, workmates and football teammates, including his grandmother, to show their solidarity and shave their heads alongside him during an event at the Deveronside in Banff, raising more than £20,000 for Teenage Cancer Trust and Cancer Research UK.
The awards ceremony, supported by Morgan Stanley, was held virtually over Zoom with special guests Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.
Reassuring the Princesses, Alex said: “I just want to say, I didn’t force anyone to shave their heads! They all did it voluntarily.”
On receiving the award, Alex said: “Amanda my Teenage Cancer Trust Nurse was somebody who really helped me during my treatment, and the fundraising was my way of giving back to the charity. It’s about making the most of a bad situation.
“Winning this award is an absolute honour.”
During the pandemic, Alex has been one of the thousands of young people who have found themselves shielding to stay safe. Princess Beatrice was keen to learn more about Alex’s experience of shielding and in response, he said: “Shielding is very frustrating obviously because you can’t exactly go out and enjoy yourself, like I’d planned to do after getting the all-clear.
“I had planned to go and see a bit of Scotland and do the North Coast 500, but you just can’t do it, it’s not possible, we just all need to look after ourselves.”
Alex was told he had the all-clear in April, just days after the UK entered lockdown. HRH Princess Eugenie asked him if the period before his all-clear was scary.
Alex replied: “Yes it was quite scary...I know a certain few young people from treatment, so it was quite a worrying time.
“I finished treatment a week before lockdown but three months on and we’ve made it. You don’t expect to come down with anything like cancer – especially at the age of 23 or younger. I must say that finding out I had the all-clear was a very happy time.”
Princess Beatrice asked Alex what he is looking forward to post-lockdown, and he said: “I want to do some half-marathons and maybe a few marathons, obviously I need a bit of time to build my fitness towards that.
"I just want to get my health and fitness back to normal and see a bit more of the world.”
Princess Beatrice thanked Alex for all the inspiring things he has done in the Banffshire community and for supporting Teenage Cancer Trust on his journey and said she admired him greatly for wanting to run a marathon.
She said: “I did a marathon a few years ago and I’d never do one again so I admire you greatly.”
The princesses honoured the winners as they learned of their dedication to the charity – despite the challenges of a global pandemic – reliving personal moments and hearing accounts from staff on the NHS frontline.
They also spoke of their own experience of the NHS as Princess Eugenie’s father-in-law received care for coronavirus.
The princesses, who are honorary patrons of the charity, presented the awards virtually to help shine a spotlight on the people who the charity said exemplified the purpose, values and passion of Teenage Cancer Trust.
HRH Princess Eugenie said: “It has been a real honour for Beatrice and I to present these awards to such dedicated, kind and inspiring individuals.
"Hearing what it has been like working on the frontline, the personal stories that drive fundraising and how inspirational young people have campaigned in the face of adversity – and all during a global pandemic – will stay with us forever.
“Beatrice and I have grown up with Teenage Cancer Trust. We have been inspired by our mother, who is an honorary patron of this incredible charity, and support it in what is its – and my – 30th year.
"We’ve shared many experiences along the way and people like these worthy award winners truly inspire us.”
The aim of the trust is to create world-class cancer services for young people in the UK, providing life-changing care and support so young people do not have to face cancer alone.
Chief executive of Teenage Cancer Trust Kate Collins said: “These awards have been created to recognise the fantastic contributions and achievements of people right across the Teenage Cancer Trust community, and in particular, we wanted to shine a spotlight on the contributions of those who stepped up during the coronavirus crisis.
“We are nothing without the support of everyone who makes our work possible. Whether that be our staff working within the NHS to support young people, our fundraisers, our patrons and our corporate partners.
"All the amazing nominees and winners are part of the glue that keep the charity together and because of them, we are able to support thousands of young people with cancer right across the UK.
“There are so many incredible people out there who support the work of Teenage Cancer Trust. We’d like to celebrate them all and take the time to say thank you.
"That’s why we have established these awards and I am really looking forward to more awards later this year that will mark our 30th anniversary as a charity, and the huge commitment of so many who have helped us deliver so much for young people with cancer since 1990.
"We’re also planning to have awards happen on an annual basis so we can celebrate and thank so many of the people who embody what the charity stands for.”
For more information about the work of the Teenage Cancer Trust visit www.teenagecancertrust.org
