An Andover teenager has been given a prestigious award given in honour of Princess Diana.

Dmitrijs Meiksans has been given the Diana Award in honour of his work with a variety of charities in the local area, as well as campaigning on matters that are important to young people and making sure their voices are heard. He will officially be given his award a virtual ceremony taking place later today.

Dmitrijs said: “It is an indescribable honour to have received this award. It recognises the values the late Princess Diana embodied, and still continues to through her legacy. The message that young people are the future is a message that I greatly admire.”

The Diana Awards began as the Princess Diana Memorial Awards in 1999, being a government-backed charity which recognised young people who had overcome disability, and those who volunteer.

It was relaunched in 2009 as an independent charity by the then-Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, with the support of the Royal Family and Spencer family. The new charity funds anti-bullying campaigns as well as the awards for social action and humanitarian work.

Dmitrijs, the Youth Member of Parliament (MYP) for North West Hampshire and head boy at Harrow Way, is a regular volunteer in Andover with events such as A-Fest, which he co-hosted this year, and with organisations such as Andover Trees United. He is also set to host a national climate change conference before COP26 in Glasgow later this year.

The 15-year-old was recognised by the awards after being put forward, and being judged on a series of impacts including vision, social impact, inspiring others, youth leadership, and service journey.

The 2021 Diana Award Roll of Honour said of his award: “Alongside his role as a member of the UK Youth Parliament, Dmitrijs works relentlessly to ensure that young people’s voices are heard. In the past year, Dmitrijs received funding to conduct a survey that reached over 900 young people and discussed how young people could be kept safe during the pandemic.

“He presented his findings to MPs and councillors and works to ensure that young people are at the heart of conversations that involve them. Dmitrijs has volunteered and fundraised for countless local charities and helps provide volunteering opportunities for other young people through his charity work.”

By receiving the award, Dmitrijs is also eligible for the Diana Legacy award, which is held once every two years to recognise “20 outstanding young leaders, visionaries and role models”. The recipients of these select awards are yet to be announced.

Tessy Ojo, the CEO of The Diana Award, said: “We know by receiving this honour, they [Dmitrijs] will inspire more young people to get involved in their communities and begin their own journey as active citizens.”