Trevor O’Boyle is among 38 winning “heroes” nominated by Lidl Northern Ireland customers to be acknowledged for their hard work and dedication to causes they are passionate about in their local area.
Retired teacher Trevor dedicates his time to helping children and young people with disabilities in Northern Ireland.
A wheelchair user, Trevor is a founding member and volunteer of Autonomie, a local charity run entirely by volunteers that works with children and young adults with physical disabilities and their families.
He has worked tirelessly to improve services for local families and looks after the day to day management of the organisation as well as coordinating volunteers.
His work plays a central role in enabling Autonomie to thrive within the local community and make the lives better for those children and young adults living with a disability.
He will be honoured at an exclusive gala event on the renowned SS Nomadic in Belfast on 1 December.
One overall winner from the 38 heroes will be announced on the evening and presented with a year’s free shopping while two runners up will receive £500 of vouchers each.
After being told he had been selected as a winner, Trevor (pictured) said: "There is still so much to be done to help empower children and young people with additional needs.
“School leavers go from a safe and familiar environment to being totally isolated. We want to empower these young people so they can make informed life choices, reach their potential and become independent.
“Our popular Freedom2Choose programme in partnership with Education Authority and South Belfast Area Project runs every Saturday and offers 16 to 25 year olds the chance to learn new skills, meet new people and feel part of a community. I would urge young people to come along.
“Our research reveals school leavers often become lonely and isolated, spending much of their day in their bedrooms watching movies or online. But being a part of our Freedom2Choose programme means they get out, meet new people and have new experiences.
"They want the same things in life as everyone else - paid work, a place to call their own, friends and relationships and we want to help them achieve that."
