A DEDICATED charity founder has been elected to a prestigious new role held by the likes of Dame Judi Dench in recognition of his tireless campaigning.

Toby Freeman, chief executive officer and founder of the Robin Cancer Trust, has been elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

The trust was founded by the Freeman family in 2012 following the tragic death of son and brother Robin Freeman, aged just 24, from a late-stage cancer diagnosis.

The Colchester-based charity campaigns for those affected by germ cell cancer and provides support to those with the condition.

Since being formed it has reached 12 million people online, engaged with more than 175,000 men and women in the community and delivered life-saving educational talks to more than 25,000 young adults in schools, colleges and businesses.

The Fellowship is an award granted by the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) to those who have made significant contributions to social change.

Previous winners include Marie Curie, Charles Dickens, Benjamin Franklin, Stephen Hawking and Karl Marx whilst current Fellows include Dame Judi Dench and Sir Tim Berners-Lee.

Champion - Robin Cancer Trust founder and CEO Toby Freeman has been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts

Champion - Robin Cancer Trust founder and CEO Toby Freeman has been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts

Mr Freeman said: "I’m incredibly proud to be invited to become a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

"The RSA has been at the forefront of significant social change for over 250 years and I am honoured to be part of this global community of changemakers and innovators.

"My personal mission is to prevent another family from going through what mine did – and I hope by engaging with a worldwide Fellowship network, I can work towards making that vision a reality.”

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The Robin Cancer Trust has suffered a devastating loss of income due to Covid-19 losing 95 per cent of its income due to cancelled events, charity partnerships and fundraising opportunities.

To find out more about the charity, visit www.facebook.com/TheRobinCancerTrust or robincancertrust.org.