Fundraiser, 11, given honorary award by charity

An 11-year-old boy has become the youngest honorary member of a charity after selling his toys in a fundraising effort.

Freddie, from Prickwillow, near Ely, Cambridgeshire, decided to sell toys including cars, action figures and dinosaurs at a car boot, raising £20 for Cambridgeshire Search and Rescue.

He first got involved with the charity, which searches for vulnerable missing people, when he helped with a rope toss into a river at a life-saving demonstration at Ely Aquafest.

"When I was on my way home I thought, I really like that, I might donate to them," he said.

Freddie's mother Stella said she was proud of him and would "100% support" his fundraising efforts - but added she would be worried about him joining as a volunteer.

"It's terrifying because they need people to do this but as a mum you don't want them doing it... they are unfortunately a charity you never want to use," she said.

"As a mum I would be quite worried thinking of my child out there - but someone has got to do it.

"You talk to them and find out that they don't get any funding anywhere else."

Wayne Bent, search manager at Cambridgeshire Search and Rescue, said the donation was a "complete shock" and came "out of the blue".

"We have to celebrate these things because we rely totally on donations from the public and without that donation our charity doesn't survive," he said.

The charity was started in 2006 and helps save an estimated 60 people a year.

"For us it's often a thankless task - we get the job done, we find the missing person, get them them to a place of safety and medical support if needed," said Mr Bent.

"We just go about our business, do our job and then we go home or go back to our day jobs - that's quite an honour.

"He will one day in the future understand the generosity of what he has done... there are not many honorary members across Cambridgeshire, so you [Freddie] are one of an elite crew."

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