THE young brother of a murdered teenager has received an award in recognition of his work to combat knife crime.

Tom Cave was just two-years-old when his brother Chris was stabbed to death in a flat on The Lakes estate in Redcar.

However, the 12-year-old is determined that his brother’s death was not in vain and has followed in his mother’s footsteps tackling the threat of knife attacks.

Tom supports and raises funds for a police project called Point 7, which encourages children not to play with or harm others with knives.

His passionate stance against knife violence has now earned him the accolade of North-East winner in the national (CORR) vInspire awards.

His dedication to the causes comes in spite of the fact he suffers from Sever’s Disease in his feet and has mild autism.

Tom’s proud mother, Theresa, said: “What he has achieved is amazing considering the health problems that he has suffered in the past 12 months.

“What makes it even better is that this is all his own work, I haven’t had to ask him to do it, he wants to do it for his brother.

“He was only a toddler when Chris was killed, but that just means he is more determined to keep his memory alive.”

His selfless devotion to the cause was described as “inspirational” by vInspired chief executive Terry Ryall.

Mr Ryall said: “As a regional winner in the Best Young Volunteer category, you need to demonstrate a real enthusiasm for volunteering and have shown a real dedication to a volunteering project that has achieved a positive outcome for the community.

“Tom has displayed empathy for others and has shown great ability to build positive relationships whilst volunteering. He should be immensely proud of his achievements.”

Redcar Community College pupil Tom said: “You don’t volunteer to get awards – knowing you’re helping people is enough motivation.

“It’s great to know people appreciate what I do. I hope this might inspire other young people to give volunteering a go.”

The vInspired regional winners now become UK finalists, with the national winners revealed at an awards ceremony at London’s Camden Roundhouse in March.

Young people wanting to know more about volunteering can visit www.vinspired.org