Nominees announced for prestigious award

A 12 year old boy who raised thousands of pounds for charity in memory of his brother has been named as the youngest-ever finalist for Robert Burns Humanitarian Award.

Mason Kidd carried out 18 “acts of kindness” last year in memory of his brother, Ross, who died of cancer at the age of two.

Mason, who has autism, took pizzas to a local fire station, treated police officers to doughnuts, left tennis balls in the park for dog walkers and their pets, and bought teddies for the babies at Ayrshire Maternity Neonatal Unit as part of his effort.

His 18th act of kindness was to raise £10,000 for Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity. He handed over the money on 1 December which would have been his brother’s 18th birthday.

He has been nominated for the award along with Sandra Brown, who has championed support for victims of sexual abuse, and Ann Ferrer, who set up the Rural Development Trust in India to promote women’s rights.

Mason said: “I hope to be able to make more people smile hearing about my Kidd Kindness Project. While doing it, I’ve been able learn more about amazing people who do amazing things like people who have previously been finalists for the Robert Burns Humanitarian Award and I just can’t believe I’m among these astonishing folk.”

Mason’s parents, Alyson and Gary Kidd said: “To see what Mason, at only 12 years of age, has done is wonderful for us. Words cannot express how proud the whole family and local community are of him.”

The trio were hand-picked from nominations received from around the world. Brown founded the Moira Anderson Foundation for childhood abuse victims and has led efforts to find the body of Anderson, who went missing in Coatbridge in 1957 aged 11.

Ferrer has worked in India since the mid-1960s. The trust she set up with her husband has established four major hospitals, six rural clinics, two mobile clinics and other special-care centres.