Proud Newham father Ally Khodabocus has been named being Parent of the Year at a prestigious awards ceremony held by national children’s charity Cerebra.

Cerebra aims to improve the lives of children and young people with neurological conditions, through research and on-going support.

Each year the charity holds a special awards ceremony to celebrate the amazing achievements of some of the children it helps, as well as the parents, carers, volunteers, brothers and sisters who help them overcome their obstacles.

This year’s event was held at Tortworth Court Hotel in the Cotswolds and was hosted by well known comedian and actress Francesca Martinez.

Mr Khodabocus, aged ??? to come, is a very worthy winner of the Parent of the Year Award.

He is proud father to Bashir, who was born with Down Syndrome.

And his award said he “has done everything he can to make sure that Bashir has the chance to be a part of his community”

In 2008 he organised a concert with Sujeet Desai, a famous and accomplished musician who was also born with Down Syndrome.

The citation said: “When Bashir was the victim of severe bullying, causing him great stress, his dad was there for him, determined not to let other people affect his quality of life.”

The East Ham father also runs a London support group for others called upsideofDown, organising workshops and fundays and attending conferences, promoting the cause both in the community and in his workplace.

Ally was nominated by Bashir, who told us: “If it was not for him I would not be here today. His life has not been easy over the past few years but still he has not given up on us. He deserves it.”

Speaking after the awards ceremony, Francesca Martinez said: “I’m delighted to have been asked to host this year’s Cerebra Children’s Awards and to have been part of this special day. The amazing achievements of these young people are incredibly inspiring and highlight the power of positive thinking, courage and determination”.

This year’s awards ceremony was extra special as Cerebra is celebrating its tenth birthday this year. Chris Jones, Chief Executive of Cerebra said “we’ve come a long way in ten years and these awards are a chance to celebrate and applaud the amazing achievements of these young people who are an inspiration to us all”.

For further information on Cerebra please visit www.cerebra.org.uk or phone 01267 244200.