Eastbourne teen who cared for little sister before her death to receive award

Jack Metcalfe, 18, has been named as a winner in the national 2022 WellChild Awards after being nominated by his mother.

He will collect his award in London on September 8.

A WellChild spokesperson said: “The Awards are run by WellChild, the national charity for seriously ill children, and will be attended by the charity’s patron, Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex and his wife Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex. The Duke will deliver remarks.

“Jack, who was dedicated to caring for his seriously ill little sister, Sophie, before her death last year, was picked from 100s of nominations from across the UK to win a WellChild Award in the category of caring young person.

"These awards celebrate the resilience of children living with serious illnesses or complex conditions and honour the dedication of those individuals who go the extra mile to help these children and their families.

“Jack loved having a baby sister when Sophie was born in 2018. Sadly 11 months later she became seriously unwell and was diagnosed with acute necrotising encephalitis.

"Due to this she almost lost her life following complications when she contracted influenza. Several months later Sophie left hospital with severe disabilities and needing 24/7 care.”

The charity said Jack coped amazingly well with the disruption to his family’s life and continued to excel in his school work, achieving excellent GSCE grades.

The spokesperson added: “He also stepped up to help his parents with Sophie’s medical needs, asking to be trained in all aspects of her care from tube feeding to administering oxygen and knowing what to do if she became unwell.”

Unfortunately, Sophie tragically died after contracting Covid in November 2021.

Nicola Hubbard, Jack and Sophie’s mum, said: “When Sophie died it hit Jack very hard but he has kept the promise he made to her that he would do her proud and keep going with his studies so he could get a place at university.

"I don’t know how I would have coped without him.

"I’m so pleased that he’s won a WellChild Award and I hope it helps him realise what an amazing big brother he has been to Sophie.”