ROTARY’S prestigious Young Citizen Award 2024 has been presented to Minehead teenager Anthony Knight, who has been performing violin cameos across Europe to raise funds for the DEC Ukraine Appeal and UNICEF.

Teenager Anthony, who attends Taunton School, gave 75 performances of pieces by Bach and Telemann in local churches and care homes and raised £14,000 to support victims of the war in Ukraine.

He then embarked on a tour of European cities and performed in some of the most prestigious hotels, including as Berlin’s Hotel Adlon Kempinski and The Sofitel Le Scribe Paris Opera, raising £20,000 for UNICEF.

By the time Anthony’s tour ends in July he will have performed in 12 countries.

Anthony received his award from two former winners, Bella Field and Katriona Goodsell, at the Rotary Young Citizen Awards ceremony in Alcester, Warwickshire, home of Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland.

He was nominated by the Rotary Club of Taunton, whose speaker secretary Alan Reeve said: “Anthony is a genuinely talented young musician who has already been accepted into the Royal College of Music.

“It is testament to Anthony’s generous spirit that he is using this talent for the benefit of others, performing both in Taunton and across Europe to raise important funds for the relief effort in Ukraine.

“It is an absolute pleasure to nominate him for a Rotary Young Citizen Award.”

Anthony’s father, Paul Knight, said: “We are obviously very proud of him, it is a huge achievement.”

Now in its 17th anniversary year, the Rotary Young Citizen Awards celebrates the amazing achievements of inspirational young people across Great Britain and Ireland, many of whom have assumed important responsibilities at a young age.

More information about the awards can be found online at www.rotarygbi.org.

Rotary is a membership and humanitarian service organisation with more than 35,000 British and Irish members who use their time and talents to make a difference in their own communities and around the world.

It is open to anybody aged 18 and older wanting to give back to their community, meet new people, and have fun.