A CHARITY that has brought smiles to people’s faces before and during the pandemic is being recognised with an award from the Prime Minister.

Kevin Hill who runs Spennymoor based charity Bringing Back A Smile has won a rare award from Number 10.

On Tuesday September 8, Mr Hill received a call from Amy Schiller a media office reporter for The Civil Society based in Parliament Square in London.

The award came as a complete shock to Mr Hill who said: “I was astounded when she told me that the Prime Minister Boris Johnson had awarded me The Point of Light Award for outstanding work throughout our communities during Covid-19."

The Points of Light Awards has been running for 25 years and Mr Hill is the 1,469th person in Great Britain to receive the award.

Although the award is for an individual, Mr Hill is collecting it on behalf of his team at The Bringing Back A Smile Charity.

Mr Hill said: “Its been a team effort throughout not just during Covid, if it wasn’t for my team and our sponsors we wouldn’t be able to get awards like this.

“I would like to thank our flagship sponsors Wealth Of Advice based in Durham also Hartlepool Property Management and AKV Cladding in Shildon who have stuck by us in very testing times.

“The big shout out goes too our supporters who have dug deep to keep the charity going with their kind donations.”

The charity’s main aim in 2020 is to purchase a caravan for ill children at the Primrose Valley resort in North Yorkshire.

Currently their fund stands at £12,010, with a target of £30,000.

If anyone would like to donate to this cause please visit bringingbackasmile.co.uk