One of the things these awards always prove, is the incredible power of sport to change lives. And that's certainly true of our next winner, whose incredible physical challenges are making a difference to thousands of people.
Our 2019 Sporting Fundraiser of the Year is the incredible real-life superhero Josh Llewellyn-Jones. Josh was born with cystic fibrosis, a life-limiting condition that affects the lungs and other major organs. Doctors said he would not make it past his 30th birthday but when he was two, his parents took him to an American doctor who advised him to “run his legs off” in a bid to stay fit and healthy. Josh took up sport at school and says, “how hard I train directly impacts how long I’m going to live” . Aged 17, he climbed Kilimanjaro and had a boxing match with former European heavyweight champion Scott Welch, raising £125,000 for cystic fibrosis charities. When Josh defied the odds by turning 30, he celebrated by breaking a world record, lifting one million kilos in less than 24 hours. Josh has also completed numerous ultra-endurance challenges, and later this month he will attempt to swim the English Channel, cycle 200 miles to Twickenham and then run 160 miles home to Cardiff. He has raised more than £700,000 for cystic fibrosis awareness and has now set up his own charity, CF Warriors, to encourage children living with the condition to get into sport and exercise to increase their life expectancy.