SINCE being born with a birthmark on the right side of his face, young Oliver Gatenby has had his fair share of rude stares and questions.

But the nine-year-old has always just brushed off any interest with a cheery response saying: "It's just a birthmark" and quickly changed the subject.

And it was that same positive attitude that recently led to him being honoured in the British Citizen Youth Awards.

The awards recognise young people who have positively impacted society, communities, charities or other good causes.

Oliver was one of 20 youngsters to attend the Palace of Westminster for the awards in association with Specsavers presented by Kimberly Wyatt of the Pussycat Dolls.

The former Cricklade youngster cycled 101km cycle across a tough route in the Yorkshire Dales together with his dad, Andrew to raise money for the Birthmark Support Group.

Although they set themselves a target of £300, so far Oliver has raised £2,181 for the Birthmark Support Group and £500 for his school’s chosen charity.

"This charity is close to me as I was born with a venous malformation on my face," said Oliver. "They [the support group] have helped me and my family deal with all aspects of living with a birthmark and they put you in touch with people who have similar conditions to mine. It's a good charity and I wanted to be able to give them something back in return for the help and support they have given me."

The money Oliver raised has been used to fund the purchase of a new ultrasound scanner at South Tees NHS Trust, which will enable more children and adults to receive treatment for a vascular malformation or haemangioma.

Oliver's family moved from Cricklade to Stockton in the North East a few years ago but still have relatives in the area.

The keen cyclist is a member of his local cycling club, the Stockton Wheelers.

His mum Vicki said: "At Stockton Wheelers no one mentions Oliver’s birthmark, they are so used to it. But Oliver knows that other children and their parents aren’t so lucky, so he was determined to raise awareness of the condition. The mark is so visible that people often struggle when they meet him because they can’t avoid seeing it, they’re not sure what is the right thing to do and so they are nervous to talk about it.”

Despite multiple operations Oliver will always have a certain amount of swelling and discolouration due to the risks of operating so close to his eye.

Oliver’s dad said: "Oliver aspires to be like his cycling champion Chris Froome when he is older. He is so modest he doesn’t see how his recent achievements are in any way comparable to those of his hero. To his mum and me, his friends and family and everyone at the Birthmark Support Group he is a true young champion."

Dame Mary Perkins, co-founder of Specsavers, said: "The society we live in tomorrow will be shaped by the children of today, which is why championing amazing young role models is so very important.

"These unsung heroes are the rising stars of the future – let us shine a light on them and celebrate."