• WHAT I’M CALLED: Andrew Baker, or Andy, either – I don’t mind, I love both. Schoolmates always tended to call me Andy more. I’ve been called worse.
  • MY AGE: 25 in June.
  • WHAT I DO: I run Play2Give, a fundraising organisation organising events for local charities, primarily the Oxford Children’s Hospital. Our next event is the annual football fun day in June. I also volunteer with Headway Oxfordshire – I am supported by Headway myself through rehabilitation weekly for the brain injury I suffered.
  • WHERE I LIVE: Didcot
  • WHO I LOVE: All my family and, of course, all my good friends, who I couldn’t be without. I adore them all.
  • HAPPIEST YEAR: This is a tricky one, probably the years of 2005 to 2007 – my sixth form days – good times. It was also when I met a lovely girl in sixth form who became my first love, and that’s why they stand out for me.
  • DARKEST MOMENT: Having my neurological symptoms return in 2009. It has hindered me in my aims and goals, particularly job prospects as my health issues turned everything upside down in 2009. Quite a few dark moments, but every cloud has a silver lining.
  • PROUDEST BOAST: Many achievements over the years, but winning the Oxfordshire Youth Award in February was a huge boost recently, although I don’t know how I won it as I don’t see myself as inspirational. However, it was a nice way to cap off 10 years of fundraising for the children’s hospital, I could’t have done it though without the hundreds and thousands who supported my endeavours, from family, to friends and school where it all began.
  • WORST WEAKNESS: Not being good at maths – I was never good at maths, and not getting round to doing all the things I would love to do.
  • LESSONS LEARNED: No one is perfect, and just take each day as a new day, and don’t let anything get you down.
  • DULLEST JOB: Stockroom assistant at Next in Didcot. Boring – I would rather have been out on the shop floor bringing smiles to customers directly. I’m a people person. Friends would say I’m a social butterfly.
  • GREATEST SHAME: Not still being with my first love from sixth form. It was such a shame to have let it all go, but then we’re still the best of friends.
  • LIFE-LONG HERO: Tricky. I don’t particularly have a life-long hero. I’ve been so lucky to meet some incredibly brave and remarkable people who are heroes in my eyes. I can’t single them all out.
  • OLDEST FRIEND: A few from St Birinus School. I don’t want to single any of them out, they are valuable and important to me.
  • WIDEST SMILE: There have been many things which have made me smile with big beams over the years, but seeing the joy that the money I’ve raised has made to the children in hospital, knowing all the good I’ve done to raise money for new medical equipment and seeing the hospital built has been very fulfilling and rewarding. My friends make me smile too, they are my rocks.
  • FAVOURITE DREAM: Overcoming my health hurdles and getting back into employment to use all my talents and skills to the full. To finally meet the perfect girl I can fall in love with.
  • BIGGEST REGRET: Well, everybody has regrets in their life, surely? I genuinely can’t think of any, but then my memory is kind of sketchy. Let’s say, not ending up in a dream job.