Boy, 7, has been awarded on GMB with Young Loneliness Award
‘I’m a champ’! Sweet moment boy, 7, celebrates winning GMB award for writing books to raise money for the hospice that cared for his late grandfather
- Lucas Daly, from Greenwich, has been awarded with the Young Loneliness Award
- The boy wrote books to raise money for the hospice that cared for his grandad
- Susanna Reid and Robert Rinder awarded the inspirational seven-year-old GMB
An adorable seven-year-old has celebrated after being awarded with the Young Loneliness Award for his charity work on Good Morning Britain, declaring: ‘I’m a champ’.
Lucas Daly, from Greenwich, London, is already a published author, writing his own books in order to raise money for the hospice that cared for his NHS hero grandad Ricky, 58, who passed away last year.
Susanna Reid and Robert Rinder today presented the inspirational youngster with the award which aims to encourage viewers to pledge their time to charities that tackle the issue of loneliness.
Lucas Daly, from Greenwich, London, has been awarded with the Young Loneliness Award for his charity work on Good Morning Britain
The second of six awards was unveiled to the youngest winner live on air this morning, and even included a message from Millwall footballer Billy Mitchell.
Ricky sadly passed away last year, just after being awarded for his work as a Chief Information Officer with the NHS during the pandemic.
Awards were handed out to NHS staff including 13,500 people who got the Covid Star, a few workers where awarded with the George Cross and 500 staff won at NHS parliamentary awards, although it’s not clear which Ricky won.
Lucas wrote books to raise money for the hospice that cared for grandad Ricky, 58, who passed away last year
Susanna Reid and Robert Rinder awarded the inspirational seven-year-old with the award which aims to encourage viewers to pledge their time to charities that tackle the issue of loneliness
When asked how he felt, knowing that he wasn’t just a nominee for the award but that he had in fact won, Lucas said: ‘Very special! I’m a champ!’
He added: ‘I do fundraising to say “thank you” for having my grandad for his final few days’.
‘Sometimes when I feel lonely I pick up a book or a pen or pencil and start to write or read.’
Lucas had a special bond with his grandfather and spoke to him regularly during lockdown,
After the death of his grandfather, Lucas has made it his personal mission to honour him and help raise as much money as possible for Greenwich and Bexley Community Hospice, who looked after Ricky in his final days.
To date, Lucas has written nine books but Bone Man, inspired by Dav Pilkey’s Dog Man series, was the first of his books to be published.
The second of six awards was unveiled to the youngest winner live on air this morning and even included a message from Millwall footballer Billy Mitchell (right)
The book, about superhero Bone Man, is being sold for £2 and the hospice have a copy in every family room, where residents and staff are extremely proud of him.
Lucas’ first book made £800 for the hospice and he is about to release his second.
Lucas says: ‘I just got some pieces of paper and started writing my book. I love to write my book and it makes me happy to be like a teacher with my friends and help them with their reading.
‘My grandad died in the hospice and they helped him a lot. Raising money for them is like I’m saying ‘thank you for helping my grandad.
‘My grandad would be loving it if he could see me doing this!’
Billy Mitchell surprised Lucas on the show and complimented Lucas on his win.
Lucas’ Mum, Rhea (right) explained that Lucas and her dad had a very ‘strong relationship’ and she’s ‘extremely proud of Lucas’
The footballer said: ‘Lovely to see you mate! On behalf of everyone at Millwall, we are incredibly proud of you.
‘The work you’ve done is absolutely astonishing and to believe that you’ve just turned seven, it’s hard to believe, so really well done!’
Lucas’ Mum, Rhea explained: ‘Lucas and my Dad had a very strong relationship and I’m extremely proud of Lucas.
‘The way that he just picked up the pen and paper and started writing all by himself. His book that he wrote was a way of him saying ‘thank you’ to the hospice and the work that they did with his grandad, and hopefully, it’ll help families like our own who are feeling lonely at this time.’
Lucas started reading when he was three and is already reading books beyond his years like the Harry Potter and David Walliams series.
He enjoys sitting down with the younger kids at school and helping his friends who struggle with reading.
Lucas wants others to feel like they always have company and aren’t alone when reading his books.
Additional 1 Million Minutes Awards to be presented throughout the month of December this year include the Animal Loneliness Champion, the Local Loneliness Hero, the Cost of Living Champion and the Mental Health Loneliness Champion.
Now in its seventh year, Good Morning Britain’s 1 Million Minutes campaign aims to encourage viewers to pledge their time to charities that tackle the issue of loneliness.
Since launching in 2016, a staggering 432 million minutes of time have been donated to charities in need of volunteers who can connect with those who feel alone.
And it has never been more important for us to talk about feeling lonely, especially following the acute isolation the cost of living crisis is currently causing millions of people throughout the country.
As well as supporting ITV’s Britain Get Talking campaign, charities involved this year include Alzheimer’s Research UK, Alzheimer’s Society, Grief Encounter, Re-engage, Royal Voluntary Service, Sands, Home-Start and the Chatty Cafe Scheme.
Actor and best-selling children’s author, Ben Miller launched this year’s campaign with a brand new short film – A Slice of Life.
Alongside GMB presenters, familiar faces across ITV, celebrities and influencers alike will get involved and show their support for 1 Million Minutes both on air and online, with the show curating bespoke content that will touch all regions across the UK.
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