A Didcot man, and Play2Give’s hero, living with a brain injury since birth, is to be recognised with a national award for his tireless contribution to Oxfordshire charities over the past 15 years.
Andrew Baker, or ‘Mr Play2Give’, who founded our charity, began his fundraising and voluntary journey when he was just a 14 year old schoolboy at St Birinus School in Didcot.
Now, Andy, 29, and who has raised more than £70,000, is being honoured with a British Citizen Award (BCA) for his services to volunteering and charitable giving.
Andy first found out he was to be given the prestigious honour last November, and was nominated by family friend and fellow Play2Give volunteer, Linda Latter.
Since his school days, Andy has raised more than £57,300 alone for the Oxford Children’s Hospital, inspired fundraising from the life-saving brain surgery he received at the former Radcliffe Infirmary aged 12.
In 2007 he established Play2Give (P2G), to continue raising funds that he first began in 2003 as a school pupil, and the fundraising organisation supports the hospital and brain injury charity, Headway Oxfordshire.
Funds raised by Play2Give since 2014 for Headway has been used to help keep the centre’s services running after loss of county council funding, and to redevelop it’s activity and rehabilitation centre and helping to fund the cost of eight new pieces of specialised exercise machines for its neurological physiotherapy gym. Andy has benefited from the brain injury support service since 2012, and attends the centre weekly.
Earlier this year, a patient room for teenagers, ‘The Play2Give Room’, was unveiled at the hospital after we raised over £40,000 across a decade.
For the past two years, our festive campaign, Sleigh2Give, has gained momentum which brings cheer, joy and smiles to young patients in the hospital over the holidays, with toys.
Andy will receive his BCAv in London, as one of 29 medallists, at the Palace of Westminster on July 6th.