Belton’s Jack rubs shoulders with the stars

A Belton teenager rubbed shoulders with the stars when he attended the prestigious BBC Radio 1 Teen Award ceremony in London.

Jack Marshall, 16, attended the event to receive the ‘Stephen Sutton Teen Hero Award’ in recognition of his remarkable and selfless fundraising for blood cancer charity Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research.

The award, presented at Wembley Stadium, was created in memory of 19-year-old Stephen Sutton who raised £5 million for charity before his death from cancer in May.

Jack, who has Moebius Syndrome, is unable to walk unassisted, has difficulty with hearing and sight, and is unable to smile. Despite this he has completed the Great North and Great Manchester Junior runs on several occasions, as well as climbing Yorkshire’s Three Peaks and Snowdon to raise thousands of pounds.

(L-R) Jack Marshall, Fearne Cotton and Jack's sister, Jaimie Marshall.(L-R) Jack Marshall, Fearne Cotton and Jack's sister, Jaimie Marshall.
(L-R) Jack Marshall, Fearne Cotton and Jack's sister, Jaimie Marshall.

Jack said: “I do what I do to help other people. Yes I have Moebius Syndrome but that is not a terminal illness like blood cancer can often be.

“Leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma destroys so many lives, both young and old, and so many of those lives can be saved with money raised for research and to support patients with the disease.

“I am very proud and very humble that my name is linked to an inspirational person like Stephen Sutton and I shall aspire to honour his memory.”

Jack’s mum Linda said: “Moebius Syndrome is known as life without a smile but Jack smiles from inside in a big way.

“I am proud of him every single day of his life – the way he lives his life, the way in which, despite his disability, he devotes himself to helping others. He is an incredible young man.”

And the award ceremony was made even more special, she added: “Ryan Giggs appeared on a big screen, said lots of nice things and invited him to Manchester United to meet him and watch a game. Jack said it doesn’t get any better than that.”

During the event he met radio DJs Nick Grimshaw and Fearne Cotton as well as Brooklyn Beckham, son of David and Victoria.