Harry Byrne from Larkhill has been named as a winner in the prestigious national 2022 WellChild Awards

The eight-year-old will collect his award in London next week.

The Awards are run by WellChild, the national charity for seriously ill children, and will be attended by the charity’s patron, Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex and his wife Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex.

Harry, who looked after his younger brother Reuben – who had a very rare brain condition which limited his life span, was picked from hundreds of nominations from across the UK to win the category of Caring Child.

The awards celebrate the resilience of children living with serious illnesses or complex conditions and honour the dedication of those individuals who go the extra mile to help these children and their families.

Harry is described as a big hearted, big spirited little boy who is very caring and unselfish and full of boundless energy and enthusiasm for life.

He helped care for Reuben whose condition was so rare it does not have a medical name and only about 20 cases have been recorded, including that of Harry’s eldest sister Olivia who tragically also died of the condition before Harry was born.

The condition meant Reuben had no swallowing reflex and had to be fed by a peg/tube going directly into his tummy.

He also had a stoma bag and could not speak or walk. The condition was slowly shutting down the nerve receptors in his body and seizures were a regular occurrence.

Harry helped his parents with the everyday tasks needed to keep Reuben comfortable and happy, such as entertaining and playing with him in such a way that Reuben felt totally loved and included.

He was very aware of the warning signals when Reuben was about to have a fit and would warn his parents and then rush to get the oxygen to help him.

Harry came up with the idea of fundraising and at first wanted to swim with sharks. But instead, he did a 45-mile walk, most of it in the cold and snow, to raise awareness of Reuben’s condition and raise funds for the hospices that looked after Reuben and supported the family.

Next, he created a much bigger challenge, inspired by Harry always telling Reuben he loved him to the moon and back.

The distance to the moon was too far so they decided to race twice around the moon with the help of friends and family who were called moon trekkers with 16,000 miles worth of challenges.

Harry took Reuben on as many challenges as he could, creating the most amazing memories, their final mile was on a specially adapted bike, where Harry rode with Reuben.

Harry ran, walked, skipped, cycled, swam, danced, in fact anything that could rack up the miles.

Harry’s nominator says he was an absolute inspiration to everyone else involved.

Starting off with donating his £2.50 from the Tooth Fairy and a further £11 from his own pocket money, Harry’s Christmas Wish initiative received just under £7,000 by supporters, plus bags of toy donations. The donations were divided between several local charities in time for Christmas.

Unfortunately Reuben never got to open his present as he passed away five days before Christmas.

Harry’s Great Aunt Lorraine who nominated him said: “All the family are extremely proud of Harry and wonder what he will come up with next.”

WellChild Chief Executive, Matt James said: “There are more children and young people than ever before in the UK living with long-term, serious health needs.

The WellChild Awards 2022, in association with GSK, will be a unique opportunity to recognise and highlight the immense challenges they have faced and to celebrate the remarkable positivity, resilience and spirit they have demonstrated.

It will also help us to shine a light on the dedication of those around them, from siblings, professionals and volunteers who have gone above and beyond to help them through such challenging times.”