AN inspirational schoolboy from Renfrew has been named a Heart Hero at a star-studded ceremony. 

Connor Beck, 11, scooped the Young Heart Hero accolade at the British Heart Foundation (BHF) Heart Hero Awards 2022 after raising thousands of pounds in memory of his uncle who died following a sudden cardiac arrest. 

Connor, who is a pupil at Newmains Primary, was given the award at the ceremony in London on Thursday, December 1 in recognition of his remarkable efforts to support the nation’s heart charity.

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Connor was inspired to fundraise after his family was left devastated by the death of his beloved uncle John Clark, who died in 2019 at the age of 34, while he was on holiday in America.

He has since raised almost £10,000 for the BHF.

On receiving his award, Connor said: "I am so, so happy. I cannot believe it.

"I was so surprised when my mum told me I had been nominated but to win is amazing.

"My Uncle John was kind, helpful and funny and I loved going to the football with him.

"He took me to see Celtic playing Barcelona and it was brilliant.

"I miss him a lot. I hope this would make him happy and proud."

Glasgow Times:

John was a huge supporter of the BHF during his lifetime and in the months before his death, he and his friends had taken on the BHF’s Glasgow to Falkirk Trek – a 100km sponsored walk along the Forth and Clyde and Union Canals, from Scotland's largest city via the iconic Falkirk Wheel to the capital.

It was his support of the charity which inspired Connor to come up with a fitting tribute to "keep my Uncle John’s spirit alive".

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Connor’s mum, Michelle Clark, says her brother’s death came as a huge shock to everyone.

She explained: "We just couldn’t believe it. 

"Within minutes your life can just change and that is what happened to our family.

"We had no indication, no warning, there were no symptoms.

"John had flown to America for a wedding and while he was there had a sudden, fatal cardiac arrest.

"One minute he was here and the next he was gone.

"When these things happen you don’t know how to cope, nothing in life prepares you for losing someone, especially so young.

"Then about nine months after John passed away, we were thinking of ways to pay tribute to his memory and that is when Connor came up with his fundraising idea.

"He came home from school and said he wanted to do a sponsored cycle to mark what would have been John’s 35th birthday.

"So that’s how it all started, with Connor cycling 35km, finishing up on September 19 – John’s birthday.

"He raised more than £3000 and he’s not stopped fundraising since."

Glasgow Times:

Last year, the youngster swapped his bike for hiking boots for his latest challenge, taking on Scotland’s most popular long distance walking route – the 154km West Highland Way.

Starting in the North of Glasgow and ending in Fort William, the trek is a challenge for the fittest of adults, but at aged just nine years old Connor, accompanied by his dad Brian, other family members and his friend Evan McCrone, walked the route in stages over five weekends, completing the challenge once again on John’s birthday.

Michelle said: "I can’t explain how proud we are of Connor, and we know John would be extremely proud of him too, for continuing what he started by fundraising for the British Heart Foundation – a charity whose work is so important to us.

"And that is why we will continue to carry on fundraising for the BHF, in the hope that their research can find out more about heart and circulatory diseases and so that other families may be spared the heartache we have gone through."

David McColgan, head of BHF Scotland, said: "The support of our fabulous fundraisers means a great deal to us.

"Connor is one of those amazing fundraisers who makes us so proud and is thoroughly deserving of his BHF Young Heart Hero award.

"Taking on the challenges he has at such a young age is a remarkable achievement and to have raised so much for us along the way is outstanding."

The BHF is the largest independent funder of research into heart and circulatory diseases in Scotland, supporting hundreds of scientists at universities across Scotland including at its two Centres of Research Excellence at the universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh.

You can find out more about the BHF Heart Hero Awards 2022 HERE.