The John White Little Star Foundation

880. John White

Inspired by his young cousin who has been diagnosed with autism, John decided to create a charity that helps disabled children and wrote in to Number 10 to let the Prime Minister know about his work. Earlier in 2017 he initiated a community fun day which raised £500, managing to persuade the local church to loan him the venue for free, arranging for stallholders to provide a range of activities and crafts, and collecting raffle prizes from local shops. He regularly engages with his local MP David Linden, who congratulated John in the Scottish Parliament for his work and will present him with his award on this day at the charity’s annual fundraiser event.

In a personal letter to John, Prime Minister Theresa May said:

“Thank you for writing to me about your inspiring work to create the ‘Little Star Foundation.’ You should feel very proud of all you are doing to help improve the quality of life for disabled children and those with life limiting conditions in Glasgow.”

David Linden, MP for Glasgow East, said:

“John White is a remarkable young man who has invested so much time, passion and energy into getting his charity off the ground.

Glasgow’s East End is well known for its generous spirit and big heart but watching a young school boy consistently go above and beyond to help others is truly inspirational.

John’s award from the Prime Minister is richly deserved and I know he will continue to go from strength to strength with this incredibly worthy cause.”

John said:

“I am delighted to be chosen as the 880th Point of Light, I feel so privileged. Not only is this to recognise me, I believe it is an opportunity to recognise those children living in the East End of Glasgow with a disability or life-threatening illness. The award makes it easier to promote and reach out to those children who need our help.”