Son of murdered Fusilier Lee Rigby raises more than £100,000 for military charity and wins Pride Of Britain award
The son of murdered Fusilier Lee Rigby has won a Pride of Britain award after raising more than £107,000 for Scotty's Little Soldiers, the charity for bereaved British Forces children and young people.
Jack Rigby, 13, and his mum Rebecca attended a celebrity-packed ceremony at London's Grosvenor House hotel, where the teenager picked up the Good Morning Britain Young Fundraiser of the Year award.
Jack said: "I can't quite believe everything that has happened – it feels like a dream.
"I never expected to raise so much and I never imagined I'd win an award and get the chance to meet so many incredible people."
Fus Rigby of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers was attacked and killed by Islamist terrorists on 22 May 2013 while he was off-duty near the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich, southeast London.
To mark the 10th anniversary of his dad's murder and raise funds for Scotty's Little Soldiers – the charity that has supported him since he was two – Jack took on Scotty's May Marathon challenge.
He did this to honour his dad's memory and raise money for bereaved British Forces children just like him.
Jack walked 26.2 miles throughout May and set himself a target to raise £10,000 – £1,000 for every year without his dad.
However, after overwhelming support from the British public, Jack raised more than £50,000.
Eventually, Jack's ambition was to raise £100,000 for Scotty's Little Soldiers, as the charity means so much to him. He said: "Scotty's has always been there for me and I wanted to give something back.
"I thought the fundraiser would be a good way to do something positive in Dad's name.
"It means a lot to me and I'm so grateful to everyone who has showed their support.
"I'm so happy that I've helped to raise funds and awareness for Scotty's."
He took on another challenge, Scotty's March, last month, where he walked 10km and his fundraising page reached £55,000.
However, on the evening of the Pride of Britain Awards, hosts Carol Vorderman and Ashley Banjo surprised Jack with donations from TSB, Pride of Britain and GoFundMe, plus £12,000 from generous Daily Mirror readers.
Dragon's Den star Duncan Bannatyne was in the audience and boosted Jack's funds with an incredible £20,000, taking the total to more than £107,000.
Jack was given the news he had won a Pride Of Britain award before the event, with a special surprise from TV presenters Ant and Dec.
Scotty's Little Soldiers is a tri-service charity dedicated to supporting children and young people (0 to 25 years) who have experienced the death of a parent who served in the British Armed Forces.
Inspired by the experience of British Army widow Nikki Scott, following the death of her husband Corporal Lee Scott in Afghanistan in 2009, the charity provides support and guidance to hundreds of bereaved military children and young people throughout their childhood.
Scotty's founder, Nikki Scott, who also attended the Pride of Britain Awards, said: "We are so proud of Jack for everything he has achieved.
"He has shown such determination to give back to Scotty's and the funds raised will enable us to make a difference to the lives of hundreds of children and young people who, like Jack, have experienced the death of a parent who served in the British Armed Forces.
"The awareness is also incredible and I hope we can reach more children who may not be getting the support they need.
"We are so grateful to everyone who has got behind Scotty's and are helping us to ensure that bereaved military children and young people don't feel alone."
Scotty's Little Soldiers currently has more than 600 members and services offered include access to child bereavement support, guidance to parents and carers, personal education and learning assistance plus fun activities such as holiday respite breaks and group events.
"We are so grateful to everyone who has got behind Scotty's and are helping us to ensure that bereaved military children and young people don't feel alone."
The Pride of Britain Awards will be televised at 20:00 UK time on 12 October via ITV1 and ITVX.
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