Home   Malling   News   Article

Ant and Dec surprise Tony Hudgell with Pride of Britain award

Six-year-old Tony Hudgell has joined the likes of Marcus Rashford and Captain Sir Tom Moore in being honoured in the Pride Of Britain Awards.

Tony from Kings Hill was presented with the Good Morning Britain Young Fundraiser Award by Ant and Dec, in the show sponsored by TSB and the Daily Mirror and aired on ITV last night.

Pride Of Britain Winner Tony Hudgell. Photo Phil Harris for Reach PLC / The Mirror
Pride Of Britain Winner Tony Hudgell. Photo Phil Harris for Reach PLC / The Mirror

The inspirational youngster, who is nicknamed Bear, is a double amputee after having both his legs removed following severe abuse that he suffered at the hands of his birth parents as a baby.

He was admitted to hospital at just 41 days old with multiple fractures, sepsis and organ failure.

He has since found peace with his new adopted family.

Earlier this year, inspired by Captain Tom, and then aged only five, Tony, a pupil at The Discovery School in Kings Hill, embarked on a mammoth lockdown walk on his prosthetic legs, covering 10km over 30 days in June.

He raised an incredible £1.5m for the Evelina London Children’s Hospital which had saved his life as a baby.

He was presented with his award while browsing the shelves at Hamleys toy store in London with his mum, Paula Hudgell.

Ant and Dec, dressed as Christmas tree soldiers, jumped out from a pile of toys to surprise him.

The Pride of Britain Award honoured the 'absolute heroes' who had dedicated their lives to helping others through Covid-19 crisis.

The show's host Carol Vorderman said: “Our winners are the perfect representation of the way the nation has pulled together in 2020.

"People have faced challenges unlike anything we could have imagined, but we have all helped each other through them, and that is what Pride of Britain is all about.

"And it is what our winners are all about too. From six-year-old Tony to 100-year-old Captain Tom, they have all gone to extreme lengths to put other people first."

It is not the first award that Tony has received. Others have included the Prime Minister's Points Of Light Award.

There's a second chance to see Tony when the show is repeated on ITV tonight at 10.45pm

Read more: All the latest news from Malling

Read more: All the latest news from Kent

Close This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies.Learn More