Giant achievement: PM honours Belfast teen for Easter egg donation to sick children

A TEENAGER dubbed the ‘Belfast Easter Bunny’ has received an award from the Prime Minister for her efforts in donating more than 6,000 Easter eggs to children in hospital.

Jasmine Parker was presented with Rishi Sunak’s daily Points of Light Award by the Belfast Giants.

The 14-year-old, from Belfast, collected and donated the eggs over the past eight years, with the ice hockey team calling on fans to help the initiative.

Reacting to the news of the accolade, Jasmine said: “I cannot believe I have won this award, what an honour.”

This year marked her eighth Easter appeal, having started in 2016 aged just six years old.

Jasmine came up with the idea due to wanting to help brighten up the lives of children in hospital.

In her first year, she delivered 100 eggs and, with support from the local community, the campaign has continued to grow.

“My Easter appeal is all about making children smile,” explained Jasmine.

“Making others smile makes me happy, and I have made thousands of children smile at what could be a difficult Easter in hospital.

“I love that I have so much support from members of the public and businesses, as without them, my appeal wouldn’t be possible. I hope I’m able to continue my appeal for many more years to come.”

Jasmine has also put together Christmas hampers and toy appeals for local families in difficult circumstances. She also works with hospitals to donate small gift bags for children undergoing day procedures, as well as undertaking fundraising challenges for various charities in the Greater Belfast area.

The Belfast Giants lent their support to Jasmine by inviting fans to donate eggs at their matches in the run-up to Easter.

Belfast Giants head coach Adam Keefe presented Jasmine with her award and a signed jersey prior to the team’s home Elite League play-off quarter-final against the Coventry Blaze at the SSE Arena on Saturday.

Secretary of State Chris Heaton-harris praised Jasmine for all of her hard work, saying: “Congratulations to Jasmine on this well-deserved award.

“Her generosity has made a real difference to children and families going through difficult times, and I’m delighted she has been recognised by the Prime Minister for her amazing work for the local community.”

Jasmine is the 2,304th recipient of the Points of Light Award, which was launched in April 2014 to recognise outstanding individuals making a positive change within their community and inspiring others.

Each weekday, someone somewhere in the country is selected to receive the award to celebrate their achievements.

The Points of Light Awards recognise outstanding volunteers, people who are making a change in their community and inspiring others.