Guy honoured for making a difference

AN inspirational young fundraiser has been honoured for making a difference to children less fortunate than himself at a major awards ceremony.

Ripon Grammar School student Guy Hebdon has raised an impressive £11,000 in under five years for numerous charities including Children in Need.

He received a ‘highly commended’ Young Hero award at the BBC Make a Difference Awards, held at the Birmingham Hippodrome.

The Year 7 student whose family relocated to Ripon from South Yorkshire this year, was inspired by Captain Sir Tom Moore, who raised money for the NHS during the pandemic.

“I saw Captain Tom on TV doing his charity work and bugged my mum and dad until they let me do something, then cycled 100km to raise money during Covid.”

During 2021, Guy went on to sell homegrown apples, collect in supermarkets and produce his own Smarties spotty cookies, with the help of a local bakery, which he sold at cricket, rugby and triathlon events.

“I chose Children in Need as my main charity simply to help children less fortunate than myself,” says the 11-year-old, who has previously won a Proud of Barnsley Young Champions award for his volunteering and fundraising.

Guy raised more than £4,000 for the charity last year and has so far raised £1,200 in 2025.

“This is my fifth year in a row raising money for this fantastic charity and I have had an amazing time meeting celebrities, MPs and lots of lovely, amazing and inspirational people along the way. Fundraising and volunteering can be lots of fun so ‘go give it a try’,” he says.

The keen athlete juggles his fundraising and studies with representing Ripon Triathlon Club in the Yorkshire Series in addition to playing for Ripon Cricket Club and Ripon Rugby Club and learning electric guitar.

He also takes part in sponsored walks and volunteers with Macmillan Cancer Support, where his mum Amy works as a fundraising manager.

“Any donation you give to help me achieve my target will be really appreciated by me, but most importantly, it will help children all across the UK,” adds Guy.

*You can help Guy reach his Children in Need fundraising target here: