2024 Winner
Lochlan Murdoch
Football-mad youngster was inspired to launch a charity to help others when a serious injury left him unable to play the game he loves
Lochlan, 15, missed 11 months of football after breaking his leg badly in 2018. As he recovered, not being able to play his favourite sport left him feeling depressed and isolated, and he faced a second hospital stay following complications after surgery to remove metal pins from his leg. Lochlan, who has Type 1 diabetes, decided he wanted to raise awareness around diabetes and mental health. Just nine months after recovering from his leg break, the young Kilmarnock FC fan completed a walk around every SPL ground, covering 28 miles in total and raising more than £10,500 for diabetes research charity, JDRF Scotland.
In 2020 he set up Lochlan’s Legacy, a charity initiative working with the Scottish Football Association to provide training for all coaches about how to support children with diabetes. Last year the charity was awarded £30,000 in National Lottery funding to run a series of roadshows to empower children and young people with diabetes to manage their condition.
Mum Lesley, from Cumnock, said “Lochlan stipulated very, very quickly that no parents are to be at the roadshows. When we go to the clinic, people speak to me, they don’t tend to speak directly to Lochlan. Kids don’t just want their parents to be told, they want to be part of the decision-making process.