Girl given award for supporting autistic brother

While many 12-year-olds spend their spare time on their phones or hanging out with friends, Evie helps her younger brother navigate the world.

Evie's 10-year-old brother Vinnie is autistic and has attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which means he often finds social situations and unfamiliar places overwhelming.

But Evie, from Ibstock in Leicestershire, is always the first to notice and the care she provides her brother as a result has now been recognised by a national disability charity.

"She advocates for him all the time," said their mum Nicole. "She can see if he's getting wobbly or distressed and she'll step in for him, often without realising."

Evie makes sure Vinnie has his ear defenders and fidget toys, and helps him regulate when he starts to feel overwhelmed.

"She's really good at giving him an out," Nicole said. "She'll say 'let's do this instead. It's OK Vinnie'. Then she's his voice if he does get overwhelmed - she'll say 'we need to stop'."

The siblings have shared a close bond since Vinnie was a toddler. He had a speech delay and Evie was often the only person who could understand him.

"She would translate what he was saying to grandparents, or even their dad," Nicole said. "She'd say, 'he just wants his juice', and we'd all be like, 'ahh, juice'."

Now Evie helps Vinnie try new things and face his fears - from family camping trips to busy shopping centres.

"Without her he wouldn't be as independent as he is or as confident as he is," Nicole said. "He was quite isolated, but just by Evie going with him to places, he's much more confident."

Evie said: "I like to support him whatever he's doing - like if it's being obsessed with Minecraft or some random game I've never heard of before. I'll make sure he tells me all about it so I can be a little nerd with him.

"I'm just always on his side and I like to make sure he knows that I am his friend."

Evie's support often means making sacrifices. She sometimes misses out on activities she wants to do or days out if they are not accessible for Vinnie.

"She always has to come second to Vinnie's needs, which is really hard to admit and say out loud," Nicole said.

"She's had to grow up quickly. We've had some scary situations with Vinnie's medical needs, and she's always just taken it in her stride.

"She's one of his best friends. They're really important to each other."

Evie also helps train Goose, the family's 18-month-old labrador, who is learning to become Vinnie's assistance dog.

Goose is being trained to detect changes in Vinnie's sweat, saliva and heartbeat, which signal that he may need food, water or a break.

Evie helps with the homework between his official training sessions

"She'll come and train and over-train - doing all that practice at home," Nicole said. "She's so full of joy when he gets it. Goose really likes to train with her."

The support Evie gives in enabling Vinnie's independence and confidence has been recognised by national disability charity Sense, which highlights young people who support their siblings with complex needs.

Nicole said the recognition from Sense meant a lot.

"She doesn't realise all the extra bits she does and all the times she goes above and beyond," she said. "It's really nice that she's got that recognition that she really deserves."

Evie said she cried when she found out.

"I was proud of myself. I felt like I'd achieved something," she added.

Follow BBC Leicester on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected] or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210.