Super star fundraiser Theo is already in the limelight before he has even started his new journey as a Performing Arts student at Derwen College.
The 19-year-old, from near Northwich, Cheshire, has been named as a finalist in both the JustGiving Awards 2026 and the BBC Radio Manchester Make a Difference Awards, after raising more than £4,000 for Down Syndrome Cheshire through an inspirational litter-picking challenge that has seen him collect 42 bags of rubbish so far.
Theo, who joins our Performing Arts pathway next week, set himself the challenge of collecting 21 bags of litter during October, Down Syndrome Awareness Month. The number 21 had special significance, as people with Down Syndrome have three copies of chromosome 21.
Theo first started litter picking as part of the volunteering section of his Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards while he was a student at Dee Banks School, Cheshire, where he completed both his Bronze and Silver awards. Then came a lightbulb moment: Theo asked if he could turn his litter picking into fundraising, and his mum Helen helped him set up a JustGiving page.
Family values
Helen, says their family has always cared about the environment, so Theo’s litter picking felt like a natural thing to do.
She said: “We used to call my mum a Womble as she was always picking up bits of litter. I carried it on and now I’ve passed it on to Theo and his 18-year-old brother George.”
What began as a volunteering challenge has now raised more than £4,000 for Down Syndrome Cheshire and also became a welcome distraction from his upcoming heart surgery.
In the weeks before undergoing his fourth heart surgery – and his first operation in an adult hospital – to replace his aortic valve, Theo collected 18 bags of litter before being admitted to hospital. After months of recovery, he carried on with his challenge and had collected 28 bags by World Down Syndrome Day, smashing his original target of 21.
So proud of Theo
But Theo has not stopped there. His mum Helen said he collected his latest bag last Friday while filming a story with ITV Granada Reports, meaning he has now doubled his original target. Bag 43 is already planned for this Friday.
Helen said the family could not be prouder of the way Theo has taken everything in his stride.
She said: “We’re a glass-half-full kind of family, but we’re particularly proud of how Theo just gets on with things. He’s lived with health problems his whole life, so doesn’t know any different.
“I can’t believe that one year on we’ve done so much and are now being interviewed by TV and radio. We’ve had so many ups and downs, it’s been like living on a giant seesaw.”
Theo has attracted media attention, including an interview on BBC Sounds and filming with ITV Granada Reports. Everyone at Derwen College is looking forward to welcoming him, and Theo is already hoping to continue his Duke of Edinburgh’s Award journey by working towards Gold while at college. He will take a day out later in the month to attend the BBC Radio Manchester Make a Difference Awards ceremony in Manchester on 24 September.
Winning ways
Helen said the attention has been surreal, but Theo’s response to the awards has shown exactly the kind of person he is.
She said: “When Granada Reports asked Theo how it would feel to win, he said there were so many deserving candidates and that he’d shake their hand if they won – but I know how competitive he is really. It was a lovely thing to say, but I know he’d love to win!
“At his last EHCP (Education, Health and Care plan) review, Theo said his ambition was to be famous. It looks like he’s manifested that. We’re so proud that he’s shone a light on his community and raised awareness about what people with additional needs can achieve. He’s so determined and an inspiration to us all, a real force of nature. Whatever the outcome, he’s definitely a winner!”
Voting for the JustGiving Awards closes on Sunday 13 September so please support him. Vote here!