A SELFLESS teenager who has raised more than £17,000 for charity has won national acclaim from the Prime Minister.

Aidan Jackson, from Widnes, has received the Points of Light award which recognises outstanding volunteers who are making a change in their community and inspiring others.

The 15-year-old provides more than half the annual income of the Olivia Alice Foundation set up in memory of his best friend, 15-year-old Olivia Walker who had complex disabilities and died in 2014.

Her mum set up the foundation to provide specialist medical equipment to children and Aidan began fundraising to support it.

Aidan has Asperger's and also suffers from a condition which causes him to walk on his toes.

Yet he has never let his disability be a handicap.

Aidan has completed countless creative challenges to support the charity.

The Ormiston Chadwick Academy pupil Aidan swam the length of the English Channel to raise funds and created a teddy bear challenge asking supporters to pay a £1 to sponsor a bear and filling all 10,500 seats in Halton stadium, the home of Widnes Vikings, with teddy bears, Olivia’s favourite toys.

In a personal letter to Aidan, Prime Minister Theresa May said: “The fundraising you do in memory of your close friend Olivia is providing valuable support for children with complex health needs. You should feel very proud of organising so many creative activities to raise money and awareness

for The Olivia Alice Foundation.”

Aidan, of Francis Close, Ditton, said: “I am honoured to receive this award.

"My hope is that other young people will see that they too can make a positive difference in their communities.

"Thank you for the recognition but I would like to thank everybody who has supported my fundraising challenges, making them such a success, and also to those who inspired me to take on different challenges to help make a difference to others especially Olivia and Andrew Rogerson, the cycling scouser, as without them none of this would have been possible.

"Always remember that you can achieve anything if you try hard enough.”

Aidan is the 957th winner of this award.