A BOY from the Wye Valley has been rubbing shoulders with the stars after becoming the first young person ever to win a prestigious award from BBC Children in Need.

Dante Valaydon-Pillay, who attends Dean Close St John’s prep school in Tutshill, won The Sir Terry Wogan Young Fundraiser of the Year Award after raising £1,500 for the charity.

Dante was shortlisted for the award after taking on the challenge of climbing the Sugarloaf mountain in the Brecon Beacons five times over five days.

He was joined by former Bath and Wasps rugby player Ed Jackson for his first hike, with his friends and family joining him for the remainder of the challenge.

Dante was inspired to raise money for Children in Need after his mother suffered a series of devastating strokes in 2017 and was in hospital for three months, and then tragically, his Grandma passed away from cancer at the same time.

He was fortunate that he had friends and family around him who stood in to care for him.

More recently, he has seen his friend’s mother foster children who are going through difficult family times.

Dante realised that not all children are as fortunate and are cared for within their family unit.

On choosing a suitable challenge for the fundraiser, Dante said: “A challenge is not a challenge if it’s easy, so I decided to think of something just a little more difficult.”

He added: “I can see the Sugarloaf from my bedroom window and thought.... I’m going to climb that.”

Then, during lockdown, Dante’s class were assigned a writing project in which he decided to write a letter to Ed Jackson, knowing he had been severely injured in a terrible diving accident which in many ways reflected his mother’s own disabilities.

In his letter, Dante asked Ed - who is the founder of a charity which provides adventures for people facing mental health challenges - if he would like to accompany him on his charity hike, and was delighted when he said “Yes, I’d love to.”

Several people nominated Dante for The Sir Terry Wogan Young Fundraiser Award, and in the last few weeks, out of thousands of entries, he made the final three

After being interviewed by singer and presenter Michael Ball on his Sunday Children in Need Special, he was then invited to appear live on Blue Peter, where he was announced as the winner.

He was presented with a silver pudsey trophy and a rare silver Blue Peter badge by show hosts Joel and Richie and ‘The Body Coach’ Joe Wicks.

Later that evening, he was was whisked off to attend the filming of Children in Need in Salford, Manchester.

He was a VIP in the front row of the audience and watched live performances by Lewis Capaldi, Diversity and the Children In Need Appeal Choir. 

On the Sunday he was invited down to London to join Micheal Ball live on his Sunday morning show, where he was given a tour of the BBC studios.

Dante said: “I have had an amazing time. I never thought that I would ever win an award, I only wanted to raise money for Children in Need.

“The other nominees were brilliant and I never dreamed that I would win! 

“I want to thank everyone who donated and nominated me. It was very kind of them.

“I remember my Grandma saying, “In a world where you can choose to be anything... choose to be kind”. If we are all just a bit kinder maybe the world will be a better place”.