Essex fundraiser Daisy, 12, reaches awards final

A young fundraiser has won an award for her efforts to help research into motor neurone disease.

Daisy Foster, 12, from Great Chesterford has won a YOPEY (or Young People of the Year Award and £100, half of which she has given to her charity.

Daisy was shortlisted out of hundreds of entries from across Essex and judged by a 50-strong panel that included representatives of the Queen, MPs and town mayors. When she was asked at the ceremony at Queen Mary University of London how important it was to fundraise, Daisy replied: “It’s really important to me to spread more awareness and collect more money because the Government doesn’t actually fund for this cause.”

In the audience were International Development Secretary Justine Greening MP and Miriam Gonzalez, the wife of former Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg.

Daisy carried on fundraising after supporting her stepdad, Jay Newman. He had organised a fundraising concert and was planning another when he died of motor neurone disease last year, aged 41.

Daisy was helped with the event by her step-uncle, musician Nik Kershaw, a teen idol in the 1980s. She said: “It was something that I just felt we had to do. It was fantastic to have Nik helping. The concert was cool.”

Daisy was nominated for YOPEY by her school, Saffron Walden County High. A school spokesman said: “Daisy is a remarkable young girl to have instigated this idea and seen it through to a successful conclusion at a traumatic time while supporting her family.”

Daisy’s mum Lynn said that the youngster had been amazing support for Jay. She would help him drink, feed him, and push him in his wheelchair.