Tobias Weller: Countess of Wessex visits Paces School, Chapeltown, to award BEM medal to Sheffield boy, 11

Sheffield youngster ‘Captain’ Tobias Weller was the toast of his new school today, when the Countess of Wessex dropped in to present him with the medal he was promised in the New Years honours list.

The brave youngster lives with autism and cerebral palsy but refuses to let anything stop him from trying to help others by taking on physical challenges. He has completed two marathons, an Iron Man event and a sponsored walk to raise more than £158,000 for a range of good causes including his school and Sheffield Children’s Hospital.

He received his medal today at the new building that his school, Paces, moved into in Chapeltown on Monday. Tobias was included in the honours list for his charity fundraising, which he has been doing since he heard about what Captain Tom Moore was doing during lockdown, which inspired him to go on charity marathons with his own walking frame.

Pinning his medal on his chest after a tour of the new school, the countess told Tobias: “You’re the youngest person ever to receive this very, very special award and it’s incredibly well deserved. You’ve done such an amazing job.” Tobias said: “It’s a privilege to have been awarded such an honour, and it makes me feel absolutely magnificent. I can’t believe that I’m the youngest person in British history to receive such an honour,” and thanked people for coming to see him receive the medal.

Joining him at the ceremony were some of the pupils at Paces, as well as family, friends, and neighbours from his street in Beauchief.

Mum Ruth Garbutt said: “I’m so, so proud of him. He’s such a lovely lad, and he works so hard and does lots of things for other people. Now he’s got a British Empire Medal – it’s a perfect accolade. We had no idea that this sort of thing would happen to him but when he came on the new year’s honours list last January it was like a dream come true. He really likes knowing that he’s helped other people and that’s his driving force really. He also likes a challenge.”