A VOLUNTEER working with young people has won an award for his community work in Harrow.

Sumo Charles, 22, won the RIBI/BBC News Young Citizen Award and will pick it up at a televised BBC ceremony in Dublin next Saturday.

The Young Citizen project was created by the Rotary in Britain and Ireland (RIBI) and BBC News and Sumo is one of five winners from across the two countries.

He was nominated by the Edgware and Stanmore Rotary Club after winning Harrow Council’s Harrow’s Heroes Volunteer of the Year Award last year.

Sumo said: “Winning the Harrow’s Heroes award last year was amazing and now this - I’m overwhelmed and it is a real honour.

“I was around 15 years old when I started getting into trouble but when my son was born two years later, it was the reality check I needed. I realised that crime doesn’t pay and that I wanted a better life for me and my family.

“I arranged to do some voluntary work and then one thing lead to another. Now I work with young people who are coming out of jail or in danger of going to jail, I mentor and also volunteer at clubs and other youth services.

“I hope this award highlights what can happen and shows other young people what you can achieve with a positive attitude - if I can change then you can do it too.”

President of the Edgware and Stanmore Rotary Club, Peter Bradley, said: “Anyone who has met Sumo will be bowled over by him. Having fallen on hard times himself as child, including being excluded from school, he is a perfect mentor to children and young adults going through the same difficulties as him.

"Those excluded from school and drop-outs from care homes could very easily end up on a slippery slope of low self-esteem and involvement with the criminal justice system - heroes like Sumo make all the difference for this vulnerable and hard to reach group. I’m delighted that he’s getting the recognition he deserves.”

Council leader, Councillor Bill Stephenson, said: “Sumo’s story is a real inspiration and this latest award is well-deserved recognition for his outstanding contribution to the community here in Harrow.

"So many people in Harrow volunteer their time and energy to improve the lives of vulnerable or disadvantaged residents."