Bradley Lowery to receive posthumous award at Sports Personality of the Year

Throughout the course of his incredibly brave battle against neuroblastoma, Bradley Lowery story and smile moved everyone.

It's no surprise to see Jermain Defoe's farewell to his friend is Twitter's most popular sports tweet of 2017 and football fans around the country showed their respect to the six-year-old Sunderland fan by wearing their team shirts in tribute to his memory. We're delighted to say that Bradley's parents, Gemma and Carl Lowery, will collect an award in his honour at the 2017 Sports Personality of the Year ceremony. Bradley is being honoured with the Hellen Rollason Award in recognition of his courageous fight against neuroblastoma – a fight he sadly lost in July 2017. The Helen Rollason Award was first introduced in 1999 and exists in memory of the BBC Sport journalist and presenter who lost her battle with cancer that year, aged 43. Bradley was born in 2011 and diagnosed with the rare illness aged just 18 months. Despite his illness, the strength and smile of the Sunderland supporter brought joy to those around him. In fact, Bradley was even a guest at the 2016 SPOTY ceremony where he met Gareth Southgate and Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker. Famously, he was a mascot for the England football team during their 2-0 win over Lithuania - a 2-0 win where Jermain Defoe scored. Since his tragic passing, a foundation now exists in his name and people are still donating funds to help children with similar conditions. We can't think of anyone more deserving of this recognition.