A 13-year-old boy from Shildon is being recognised at The British Citizen Youth Awards, now in it’s 10th year, for his work with the charity Shildon Alive.
Since the age of 11, Deaken Towle has dedicated his free time to volunteering at Shildon Alive, which supports people in crisis and fights poverty through its community hub, memory café, emergency food, support and advice.
When Deaken learned that Shildon Alive could no longer fund its ‘Hand Up’ project, which provides bags containing essential items such as toiletries, hygiene products, weather protection and other everyday necessities for people experiencing homelessness, he made it his mission to find a way to bring it back.
In September 2025, Deaken took his campaign to the local council, writing a letter requesting support for the project, leading to an invitation to attend and speak at a council meeting in the October.
At the meeting, Deaken outlined the charity’s aims and highlighted the impact of homelessness in County Durham, raising awareness of the issue, whilst successfully securing the funds to revive the project.
Deaken’s campaigning also caught the attention of Durham County Council’s homelessness service, who visited Shildon Alive last year to meet Deaken and the volunteers to discuss the project and explore guidance and ongoing support for homelessness services in the area.
During the visit, Shildon Alive donated 15 ‘Hand Up’ bags to support the service’s work.
Continuing his efforts to help those in need, on Friday 9 October, Deaken and his mum took part in a sponsored sleep-out in Bishop Auckland, organised by homelessness charity Cornerstone.
During the event, a member of the public donated items for Shildon Alive’s ‘Hand Up’ bags after speaking with Deaken about the work he does to support people experiencing homelessness.
Deaken is also currently collecting used crisp packets for Cornerstone, which donates them to the Crisp Packet Project to be repurposed into blankets and washbags for people in need.
Deaken’s dedication to helping people experiencing homelessness has seen him named as a recipient at The British Citizen Youth Award which, in partnership with Specsavers, honours young people from across the UK that have made a positive impact on their communities and wider society.
Deaken said: “This medal means the world to me, and I never expected to receive something like this – I just want to help people in any way I can.
“Working with Shildon Alive and Cornerstone, I hope I’ve helped more people understand homelessness and encouraged them to support those in need. We can’t always solve every problem, but we can do our best to help make a difference.
“I love helping my community and aspire to keep doing more to help others in the future.”
Deaken, along with other inspirational young people from across the country, is being presented with the BCyA Medal of Honour at The Palace of Westminster this week, on 29 October, with recipients invited to use the post-nominals ‘BCyA’, as a legacy of their achievements and endeavours.
Mike Faulkner, Director of the BCyA, said: “For 10 years we have been recognising the incredible achievements of young people across the country with The British Citizen Youth Awards.
“These selfless individuals have shown kindness and commitment to a multitude of causes, raising much needed funds and awareness for the wider community.
“It’s a privilege to oversee the awards and shine a light on the amazing work they’ve done.”
Nominations are now being accepted for the 2027 medal presentations. You can register you nominations online at www.britishcitizenyouthawards.co.uk.
Shildon & District's local community newspaper.
