Revealed: West Midlands Pride of Britain Fundraiser of the Year

Congratulations to Lydia Wilkinson, who is our fundraiser of the Year for the West Midlands!

We have been asking for your nominations for people in the region that go the extra mile to help others and raise money for charity.

Hundreds of people were nominated, and we had the difficult task of shortlisting four individuals.

Our judging panel - former Wolves goalkeeper Carl Ikeme, presenter Balvinder Sidhu and programme producer Mike Dolan - had the even more difficult decision of choosing one finalist. They decided on Lydia, and she's now in the running for the Pride of Britain ITV Regional Fundraiser of the Year Award.

Here's why our judges selected Lydia:

Lydia Wilkinson turned a devastating personal loss into something positive.

In March 2017, while she was away at university, her mother and younger brother were murdered by a homeless man they had taken in to their home. Her father was also attacked, but survived his injuries.

A month later, while she was still coping with her personal grief, Lydia began fundraising for Birmingham Children's Hospital, where her younger brother Pierce was treated.

Pierce had previously received open heart surgery at the hospital, when he was five years old. Lydia says she wanted to thank the hospital for saving his life once – and for trying to save him a second time.

She is preparing to run the Birmingham Half Marathon in October, and has so far raised over £13,000. She smashed her target of £1,000.

She is fundraising for the hospital’s Critical Journeys Appeal, to provide the latest life-saving equipment for their fleet of four Critical Care Ambulances. One of the ambulances was used to take Pierce to hospital.

Dr Sanjay Revanna, a consultant specialising in paediatric intensive care, said: "What she's doing is truly extraordinary.

"She's such a young girl, and she's been able to put aside her own personal loss, her inner grief, and turn it into something positive, so it can benefit other children and families who are in similar circumstances.

"I want to thank her from the bottom of my heart on behalf of our organisation."

Find out more about Lydia's story here.