“Made it, Ma! Top of the world”.
It’s a quote from the film White Heat by Hollywood star James Cagney way back in 1949.
But yesterday you could excuse young Harry Crowther from repeating that line.
The youngster was genuinely on a high as he became the first winner of a community award.
It was presented to Harry, who is battling a rare disease, at the top of the Arqiva Emley Moor TV mast – 275.3m above the West Yorkshire countryside.
And the young man was thrilled to be there, after being ferried to the top of the mast in a rattling steel lift that takes eight minutes to make the journey up inside the concrete tower.
Harry, 14, who finished lessons at Castle Hall School in Mirfield yesterday for the summer break, won the award which was inaugurated by Dewsbury MP Simon Reevell.
The awards were sponsored by Arqiva, who handle TV, radio and mobile phone signals across the UK from their Emley control room.
Mr Reevell made the presentation in the viewing room at the top of the mast as Harry and other guests admired the stunning views which stretched as far as the Pennine moors on one side and the Vale of York on the other.
The awards were to honour people who make a real difference to the community in the MP’s Dewsbury constituency.
Harry was a clear winner from some wonderful entries, judged by three news journalists – Neil Atkinson (Huddersfield Examiner), Hannah Ridgeway (Dewsbury Reporter) and David Bentley (The Press).
Harry, 14, suffers from a rare form of Progeria, a genetic disorder which means that he is ageing five times faster than his contemporaries.
The condition means that Harry experiences many of the arthritic, cardiovascular and respiratory ailments more common to old age.
But he is renowned for his cheerful, positive outlook and his determination to live life as fully as possible.
He actively fundraises for the charities, Progeria UK, Progeria Family Circle and Great Ormond Street Hospital and has a big fundraising day coming up on August 1.
Yesterday he was joined by his mum and dad, Sharron and John, and 17-year-old brother Jack. Big sister Emma, 19, could not make it – she was thousands of miles away in the United States on a Camp America expedition.
Modest as ever, Harry said: “It’s an awesome experience to be up at the top of the mast. It’s a once in a lifetime chance.
“It’s even better than I thought it would be. I’ve been looking for our house from up here.
“Out of all the people who were nominated I never expected I would win. I don’t think I have done anything special; I just get on with things”.
Harry’s mum Sharron smiled as she listened in.
“It’s so humbling to see him get praised.
“He just gets on with his life and finds it very hard to understand why people think he is special.
“It has been a fabulous day and to come to the top of the TV mast is awesome. I thought I’d be scared but it is brilliant”.
Mr Reevell presented Harry with a framed certificate and the youngster also received a digital radio from Arqiva, who run the TV mast.
Mr Reevell said: “Harry is a deserving winner and I am delighted he has become the first winner of what we hope will become an annual award.
“I know the judges and myself were overwhelmed by the entries. There were some truly remarkable stories in there, about truly remarkable people.
“I know when I rang up one or two of them to congratulate them they were surprised.
“Not one of them thinks they have done anything special”.
Yesterday’s award was just the latest in a series of honours for Harry.
He is a previous Examiner Community Award winner, has received the Elizabeth Peacock Award for outstanding achievement in scouting, an honour usually reserved for adults, and the Chief Scout Award for meritorious conduct.
Last year, he ran a leg of the West Yorkshire Olympic torch relay and has shown great courage in raising awareness of his condition by visiting schools, care homes and local shows with his torch to talk about the challenges he has faced and the privilege of representing his local community. In doing so, he met more than 5,000 people.
The judging panel also chose three highly commended candidates.
Peter Jagger was nominated for his dedication to the life of Upper Hopton, particularly its cricket club; Anne Thornton for her contribution to a variety of groups, including local scouting, the Disabled People’s Electronic Village Hall and the Dewsbury West Community Centre and Pat Ainsworth, of Emley, for her marathon-running and fundraising achievements.
