One of the youngest people on the New Year Honours list has urged others her age to get involved in “rewarding” charitable causes.
Mikayla Beames, 18, has been awarded a British Empire Medal (BEM) after founding Team Mikayla following her cancer diagnosis aged four.
The charity grants the wishes of children suffering from cancer and has raised more than £300,000 to do so.
Ms Beames, from Wantage, Oxfordshire, told the PA news agency: “It’s mad (to be one of the youngest recipients) it doesn’t seem real, it’s absolutely amazing.”
Mikayla Beames (centre) alongside her parents Natasha and Ian (James Manning/PA)
Asked what advice she would give to other young people considering charity work, she said: “Do it, it’s so rewarding and knowing that you can make a difference to others is amazing.”
Ms Beames recollected making a young boy a “knight for the day” by sending him to Warwick Castle, saying it was “amazing” to see the pictures of him.
She went on: “(Being honoured) is an utter shock. I was surprised.
“My mum actually read it out to me … I couldn’t believe it.
“It’s the whole world, you don’t expect to be recognised with such a big award.”
Since 2014, Team Mikayla has granted 220 wishes to children who are fighting cancer, distributing more than 1,000 Christmas presents.