Nine-year-old handed Little Trooper award for outstanding determination in the face of hardship
More than 40 people have climbed Mount Snowdon to raise money for the Little Troopers charity before presenting a young boy with a special award for his outstanding courage and resilience.
The group, made up of people from across the British Armed Forces, including five children, helped raise thousands of pounds for Little Troopers, which supports children with one or both parents serving in the forces.
At the end of the climb, a nine-year-old boy named Louis was presented with the Little Trooper of the Month award for his outstanding determination in the face of hardship.
The 'Little Trooper' was given a surprise at the end of the climb when representatives from the charity presented him with the award.
Louis and his family have faced several tough years. First, his grandad passed away just before the pandemic, and shortly afterwards, his grandma was diagnosed with cancer.
Losing both grandparents was hard on Louis and his younger brother Henri.
At just seven years old, Louis embarked on an incredible fundraising journey for Cancer Research, skiing 100 miles at the Chill Factore, raising over £5,000, which took 40 hours and more than 900 runs down the slope. He raised more than £5,000 and was mentioned in the House of Commons for his charitable work.
His grandma passed away in 2021.
In the summer of 2022, the family experienced a harrowing car accident, with Louis's mother, Rachel, trapped inside the vehicle while the boys watched firefighters rescue her.
Rachel suffered hip and spinal injuries that continue to affect her today.
During his father's deployment at sea last year, Louis stepped up as a young carer, providing crucial support to his mother at home.
When asked about the climb, Louis said: "I've chosen to support Little Troopers because I know how hard military life can be for kids. We're born in this world and it's tough, I'm so proud of my daddy and I love being part of the Royal Navy family, but I do really miss him.
"When he gets deployed I worry. We maybe get to speak to him every few weeks and we get the odd email during the week, but my life is just meant to continue as normal and everyone around me at school, my activities, don't see how much I'm hurting inside.
"This is why Little Troopers is important to me, it brings awareness to the struggles we face, it provides schools with support so they can better understand what we are going through. It makes us feel connected."
The Little Troopers charity smashed their goal of raising £5000 with the Snowdon climb, having raised £6,847.50.
A spokesperson said: "This is the sixth time we’ve climbed Yr Wyddafa (Snowdon) to raise money for the charity and I think it’s been one of the hardest. It was really hot and humid on the mountain which was challenging at times. But we had two little troopers, aged seven and nine, who were powering up the mountain, always at the front of the group and we were all so amazed, they kept us going!
"The event has been a real success and I’d like to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has donated. Every penny makes a big difference to our small charity."
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