A SEVEN-year-old boy, from Slough, joined young people from across the country at the Scottish Parliament, to celebrate the first Inspire Awards.

Arjun Kapoor, who attends Castleview School, won the Master Achiever Award at the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday, June 6, for his “exceptional” acting and work on raising awareness for Autism.

The Inspire Awards 2023 is a new initiative from the British Youth International College (BYITC), which celebrates the talents of young people aged 5 to 17 who excel in whatever they love to do.

Arjun has showcased his “exceptional talent and passion” for the arts through various notable performances.

He portrayed the Indian freedom fighter, Bhagat Singh, at the 'Bharat Ke Veer’ celebration held in London.

He also took on the role of India's first Prime Minister, Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru, for the Republic Day celebration organised by Inspiring Indian Women in London.

Arjun took part in a program for Autism Awareness Month 2023, which was organised by International Autistic & Complex Needs Family.

During the event, he delivered a speech on crucial facts about autism to educate people and raise awareness about this condition.

Founder of BYITC, Dr Rashmi Mantri, said: “I am so proud of all these marvellous young people and the range of abilities in the room is truly humbling. We had so many high-quality entrants that the judges had a very tricky job picking the winners.

“We wanted to create a special night to celebrate diversity and inclusion and recognise young people from all backgrounds who are making all of our futures’ brighter by learning and excelling in whatever they choose to do.”

The awards are split into various categories including environment, STEM, sports, language and literature, media, academics, art and creativity.

37 awards were given out by the judging panel which included Professor Eleanor Shaw OBE, associate principal of the University of Strathclyde, and entrepreneur Dr Poonam Gupta OBE, chief executive of PG Paper, an international paper company based in Scotland.

Dr Mantri added: “I have seen first-hand how achievement in learning and skills can fill young people with confidence and show them how amazing they really are. Through BYITC, we have helped thousands of students excel in maths, English, programming and cyber security.

“Well done to everyone who won as you have set the bar very high for next year’s awards.”