THE Above and Beyond award, given to recognise remarkable efforts, was presented to charity founder Tony Curtis who was unable to attend the awards.

Mr Curtis founded Newport-based charity Dreams and Wishes in 2011 which makes seriously ill children’s wishes come true.

He has a history of working with national children’s charities, including cancer support charity LATCH.

He works tirelessly with the charity, which is dedicated to organising special trips and activities for children who are battling life-threatening illnesses, including anything from a trip in a Ferrari or a visit to the House of Commons.

Mr Curtis, who was given an MBE in 2003, said: “I think it’s fantastic, a great honour. I’ve worked in Newport for most of my life and it’s good for the city to recognise all the awards.”

“The highlight is seeing the smiles on the faces of the children. No matter how short your life is, it’s about making special memories.

“Often the parents seem to suffer more than the children so we try to involve the whole family. We meet unbelievable children who deal so well with their serious illnesses.”

Chairman Mr Curtis co-founded Dreams and Wishes after getting fed up with a lot of the red tape in larger charities.

He said: “We’re all volunteers so every pound given to us goes to the work we do.”

The nomination for Mr Curtis read: “Tony has worked tirelessly for years helping others. He and his charity help to make the dreams of ill children come true.”