A YOUNGSTER from Dudley has won a national award at the Inspire Awards which celebrate super achievers aged five to 17 who excel in whatever they do.

Seven-year-old Varesh Karthik won the Planet Ranger Award at the awards – a new initiative from the British Youth International College (BYITC), which was founded in 2015 by Glasgow-based academic and educator Dr Rashmi Mantri to help young people learn and improve their abilities in maths.

Varesh, who attends Russell’s Hall Primary School, Dudley, was commended for his curiosity and bringing his imagination into reality by working with everyday items in the home like waste cardboards, colours, tape, and threads.

The youngster was praised for his passion and enthusiasm for making things out of waste cardboard boxes, including a house with garage for his toys and toy cars as well as armour, a sword and a helmet for himself.

The awards were overseen by a high-profile judging panel including 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 in Inverclyde, Scotland.

A total of 37 accolades were given out at the awards, held at the Scottish Parliament on June 6, with the winners, their families, judges and all other attendees treated to dinner afterwards at nearby German Donner Kebab, one of the sponsors of the event.