Roman, from Hartlepool, won the “Young Hero” award in the BBC Radio Tees Make a Difference awards, which attracted entrants from Teesside, County Durham and North Yorkshire.
The youngster, who attends Brougham Primary School and is also a Mini Red Bench Ambassador, was selected by Middlesbrough’s Matty Campbell, better known as the Gladiator Bionic, during a special ceremony at Hardwick Hall, presented by breakfast host Amy Oakden and afternoon presenter Scott Makin.
Roman’s mum Danielle Llewellyn told Life: “As his mam, I honestly can’t put into words how incredibly proud I am of him. I’m still so overwhelmed and can’t quite believe that he has won, but I’m absolutely thrilled that all of his hard work has been recognised.”
She went on: “Roman started boxing at Kush after, in his own words, being a bit of a “menace”! Boxing has been such a positive thing for him. It has given him discipline, confidence and something to focus his energy on – and he has really grown through being part of the boxing community, and all of the gym’s support has been incredible and I can’t thank the whole team enough.”
Through boxing, Roman got to know Wayne Groves, who is his boxing show MC and the founder of The Red Bench Project. The charity is a mental health awareness and suicide prevention charity and is something that is very close to our family’s hearts.
Danielle continued: “One day, Roman overheard a conversation at home about the incredible work Wayne was doing through The Red Bench Project. Rather than just hearing it and forgetting about it, Roman decided that he wanted to help. At just eight years old, he came up with the idea of raising money for the charity because he wanted to make a difference to other people.”
She said: “Since then, he has raised around £2,000. He has auctioned a Ricky Hatton boxing glove, sold bands to family, friends and people around our local community, as well as selling them at school. We also held a huge tombola outside the front of our home, which raised a whopping £467 on its own — and we completely sold out within just two hours! What makes me so proud is that Roman has done all of this because he genuinely cares. He is now nine, but he has such a big heart and has shown so much determination to help raise awareness and money for a cause that means so much to us.”
Danielle added: “Winning the BBC Tees Young Hero Award has been the icing on the cake. As his mam, I’m beyond proud and still very emotional that people have recognised Roman for something he has worked so hard for. To see him being celebrated for his kindness and his determination is something I’ll never forget.”
She joked: “Of course, Roman now thinks he’s a celebrity! But honestly, watching the little boy, who was once a “menace” at home, turn his energy into something so positive and use it to help other people makes me incredibly proud. I really hope Roman continues to believe that – even at nine years old, he can make a difference.”
