THIS year's Community Champion award winner in the Warrington Guardian Schools Awards has been described as inspirational after using his experience of coping with the death of his friend to help others.

The category, sponsored by Bents Garden and Home, recognises those who go to great lengths to support the communities they live in and Joe Varey, assistant principal at UTC Warrington, has done just that.

In the past year alone Joe has been actively inspiring young people to raise awareness and break down the barriers around mental health.

He explained: "I went away for a weekend with my friends and one of my friends didn’t come with us.

"On the Sunday morning I was woken up by a phone call from his mum who informed me that he had taken his own life.

"From that moment on, you’ve got the choice in life to either dwell on what’s gone on or you can move on and try to make a difference.

"So, from then on I climbed Kilimanjaro to raise awareness of the support out there, like Andy’s Man Club which specifically helps reduce rates of male suicide and they meet every week.

"One of the things that I’ve found is that there may be a lot of men out there smiling and looking happy but actually behind that they are burying down a lot of issues."

After Joe's gruelling challenge climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, he completed countless others, showing a determination to take something positive from a traumatic experience.

He has recently taken part in the seven-day Uganda marathon collecting donations of footwear to give to children there and raising vital funds for the mental health charity PAPYRUS.

The deserving winner, not wanting to be in the spotlight himself, used his opportunity on stage to let people know that they are not alone.

He said: "If there is anybody that you know who is suffering please get them in touch with Andy’s Man Club.

“I’ve also gone on to help PAPYRUS who help young people with mental health issues so spread the word because there is support out there and you don’t have to suffer alone.

“It’s a privilege to be acknowledged for the work I’m doing and hopefully we can make a difference.”

Evie Baldwin from Locking Stumps Primary School in Birchwood, aged just nine, came highly commended in this category for her fundraising efforts supporting a variety of different charities despite her young age.