PRINCE Harry surprised delighted kids on a Zoom call after they were recognised for their bravery at the WellChild awards.
The Duke of Sussex, 36, caught up with the previous winners of the awards on December 4 in a bid to encourage people to nominate for next years awards.
Taking part in the call with The Duke was Maddison Sherwood, 12, Katie Ward, 13, Evie Toombes, 19 and Armaan (Marni) Ahmed, 11.
The Duke, who has been Patron of WellChild since 2007, asked the group to tell him what they remembered about the evening and what it was like receiving their award.
Evie, from Skegness, told the Prince how she was nervous but electric with excitement.
She said she remembered “how positive the evening was and how it was a celebration of everything we can do and I think all of us need to focus on that.
“I have definitely carried that through and continue to carry it through.”
Speaking from his Californian home, the Prince asked the group if they could nominate anyone for next year’s award who would it be.
Maddison, who won a WellChild award when she was just three-years-old, looked around her bedroom before smiling and suggesting her mum.
The Duke joked and asked if her mum had made gestures to herself before asking Maddison’s mum to make an appearance on the call.
The 12-year-old’s mum made a brief appearance and waved at the Prince before shooting back out of frame.
‘INSPIRING YOUNG PEOPLE EVERY SINGLE DAY’
Prince Harry said the WellChild Awards is one of the highlights of his year and he spoke of the bravery, strength and optimism of the winners which he finds unbelievably inspiring and refreshing.
He said: “The children and young people of WellChild are at the very heart of this charity because you guys just know who you are and don’t pretend to be anybody else and because of that you inspire every single nurse, every single caregiver, every single mum, every single dad, every single sibling.
“And outside of the WellChild community as well you are inspiring people every single day.”
The Prince asked the group how their year in lockdown had been to which Marni said: “It’s been different, I’ve had more time on my hands, I got to do lots of different things at home and spend more time with my family.”
He remembered his experience of the WellChild Awards which included having a selfie with rapper Stormzy and the Duke.
And he said his favourite part of the evening was being presented with his award.
“It was really scary to go on stage,” he said.
“I mostly just stared at the lights, I didn’t want to stare at anyone because I was too scared!”
The Duke asked Catherine Davies, WellChild’s Family Engagement Lead how this year has been for the charity.
“As a charity we could see quickly what parents needed to help them through this crisis,” she told him.
“We put together a direct response service to help people access food deliveries, medication supplies, but, most importantly, to access PPE so they could keep the carers coming into their homes to help them with their children’s 24/7 care needs.
“As challenging as that was to be a part of, it was incredibly rewarding to be able to step into this almost front-line role for our parents and give them that direct support that they needed day after day to get them through this crisis and this year.”
The charity, which has The Duke of Sussex as its Patron, provides a national network of children’s nurses, who work with families to ensure that children with complex care needs can leave hospital and return home and, through its Helping Hands scheme, WellChild enlists the support of volunteers to tackle practical projects in the homes of children with serious health needs.
Nominations are currently open for the 2021 WellChild Awards, in association with GSK.
This prestigious annual event celebrates the inspirational qualities of the UK’s seriously ill children and young people and the dedication of those who go that extra mile to make a real difference to their lives.
If you know someone who deserves special recognition then nominate them for a WellChild Award by visiting www.wellchild.org.uk/awards or by contacting the charity on 01242 530007 to request a nomination form.
The closing date for entries is Thursday 31st December 2020, 12PM.
