Nitro Neo is Barnardo’s Pride of Britain

The UK’s largest children’s charity, Barnardos, nominated schoolboy Neo McCartney for a Pride of Britain Award because staff are so moved by the compassion he shows others and impressed by all he has achieved by the tender age of nine.  The Pride of Britain Awards celebrate the achievements of truly remarkable people who make our world a better place and Neo’s father, Shaun McCartney commented “Although Neo wasn’t a finalist this year; it is an accomplishment in itself for Barnardo’s to believe he is worthy.”

Devika Chowdhury from Barnardo’s, said: “Neo is an inspirational young man who goes above and beyond to raise money for those who are less fortunate than himself.  We are very grateful for all the fundraising Neo does for Barnardo’s.”

The motocross racing champion, better known as Nitro Neo said “ My charity work started when I saw a news story about children who had to spend Christmas in hospital.  I thought they would be sad not having any presents to open on Christmas day because Santa delivered them to their homes, so I asked my dad if I could take some of my toys in to hospital for them to play with.”  Shaun added “I posted what Neo was doing on his social media and fans replied wanting to add to his donation, we made it easy for anybody to get involved by letting fans know if everybody donated a little, it would amount to a lot when Neo gathered all the gifts together; then off we went driving around gathering toys”.

The sporting celebrity has continued this charity work ever since and achieved his mission of spreading smiles on the faces of children using Barnardo’s and Derbyshire Children’s Hospital by delivering hundreds of gifts gathered through his ‘Nitro Neo Eggstravaganza’ and ‘Operation Christmas Smiles’ campaigns.  Neo spends time with the children and their families to distract them from their troubles when he delivers the gifts, Shaun told us “I think people appreciate his time more than the gifts, they talk about his racing, he takes the children to play areas and even takes his motocross bike with him so children can be photographed sat on it to show their visitors and talk about their experience.”

Neo used his high profile to promote the Ice Bucket Challenge in an attempt to increase donations to help the Motor Neurone Disease Association find a cure for his grandad who was suffering from MND at the time, but sadly passed away recently after an astonishing eight year battle with the disease.

Neo is in full time education and trains on and off the track several times a week for motocross races but has worked hard to achieve more by the age of nine than others manage in a lifetime.  Shaun told us “He has won international and regional motocross titles, advanced in swimming to become a Rookie Lifeguard, named Jon Jepson Black Belt Academy Student of the Year and will grade for his black belt next year, named as Derby’s Local Hero and received the Bobby Dorka Foundation Award”.

We asked Neo what drives him to work so hard and he told us “My grandad and dad teach me to always do the right thing so I help people fix their problems instead of struggle on their own, but I can only do the big missions with the help of my fans, I want to thank them for supporting me racing and helping me spread smiles for #NitroAid.”

We’re sure the people of Britain will be proud of this young boy when they hear of this news, the contribution he makes to society and proof people are capable of great things.

Keep up with Nitro Neo’s adventures and next mission to spread smiles by visiting his website www.nitroneo.co.uk and following Nitro Neo on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Twitter.

Nitro Neo’s 2015 Eggstravaganza is a cracking success

We said this year’s Nitro Neo Easter Eggstravaganza would be bigger and better than last year, and thanks to Neo’s hard work and the support of his fans, sponsors, family and friends, he’s managed to raise and deliver a phenomenal amount of easter eggs to spread smiles to children facing a rough time this Easter.  Read on to see how many he gathered this year and what good use they went to.

Nitro Neo with the huge donation made by customers at Kingsway Sainsbury’s, Derby.

Last year Neo collected an amazing 180 Easter eggs for Derbyshire Children’s Hospital, but this year he gathered a jaw dropping 742 eggs, more than quadrupling last year’s total!

 

Neo kicked things off when he bought the first lot of eggs using his bonus from a recent race win.  Whilst buying them Neo and his team started chatting to Sainsbury’s staff about why it looked as if Neo was buying his own eggs for Easter.   Mark Buckley the Store Manager thought what Neo was doing was fantastic once he heard his story so he kindly offered to support his campaign to spread smiles at Easter. We were surprised when Mr Buckley gave Neo £200 on behalf of Sainsbury’s so he could buy Easter goodies from Kingsway Sainsbury’s in Derby, and we were close to bursting when Mr Buckley suggested running a Nitro Neo Eggstravaganza weekend so customers could get involved.  Get involved they did!  The people of Derbyshire didn’t disappoint, they gave generously and donated an amazing 404 easter eggs. Read about it in the Derby Telegraph!

 

On top of this, we have to thank the following for making it possible to put smiles on 742 young people’s faces this Easter and remind them somebody is thinking of them: Neo’s sponsors Judd Racing and Muc-Off, fellow race friends Finlay and Scott Boxall donated on behalf of 3 Peak Developments, Rowditch Bargain Booze, Keith and Alfie Pearce, Leigh Derbyshire, Reece Wheater, Heanor Tesco, Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK, and Family.

Once all of the donations were gathered Neo set off at break-neck speed to deliver them before having to get himself to Preston to race round two of the Route 77 Energy British MX Cup over the Easter weekend.  Neo delivered 204 Easter Eggs to Derbyshire Children’s Hospital, making sure each department received enough for every patient.  Neo started his delivery in out-patients where 150 were delivered for the expected number of patients attending the following week, Neo handed them out to all children who were there on the day.  A further 34 went to the wards and 20 for surgical and dental patients. 46 eggs are going to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services.

Neo gave a Milky Bar egg to Emma Wilson’s son who was in A&E at the time, Emma said:

How lovely of you to be giving out easter eggs. It really touched me that young people can be so kind. So thank you for making me smile and doing such a lovely thing for others x.

Neo delivering smiles around Derbyshire Children’s Hospital

As Neo set his target so high we knew there would be too many for Derbyshire Children’s Hospital alone so he delivered 492 smiles in the form of chocolate eggs to Barnardo’s, the UK’s largest children’s charity.  Some went to local Barnardo’s charity shops and raised £248, whilst others went directly to children and were delivered personally. Neo also raised a further £125 cash for the charity.

Neo loading up 492 chocolate eggs and soft toys to spread smiles to Barnardo’s services across Derbyshire

 

Nitro Neo said: “It’s really nice of everyone to help me spread so many smiles this Easter. It made the children at hospital and Barnardo’s really happy when I took the Easter eggs in.  I can’t believe there were so many, we had eggs all over the place and we had to make a few trips to get them to where they needed to be.  Thank you everyone for your help, you’re all awesome and made loads of kids happy.”

 

 

Part of Neo’s delivery to Barnardo’s

 The people of Derbyshire weren’t the only ones impressed with Neo’s efforts, as not long after revealing the rising total to the Derby Telegraph we received a call from the BBC One Show asking for Neo to appear in their live Easter special show.  Neo was invited to ride his motocross bike on to the show to meet Patrick Kielty and Felicity Kendal CBE before racing against Patrick and Nicolas Hamilton using radio controlled cars, how very cool. Neo was also to be interviewed about his Eggstravaganza and motocross, bringing the sport into the headlines for all the right reasons. Neo was gutted he couldn’t make it because the show was being aired live from London and he and his bikes had to be 236 miles away to compete in round two of the British MX Cup, but The One Show assured us they will keep in touch with the little fundraising superstar!

Finally – thank you once again to each and every Nitro Neo fan – you’re the ones that make all this possible, and all of us at Nitro HQ are extremely grateful for your support.

 

2015 Nitro Neo Eggstravaganza

2015 Eggstravaganza set to be bigger and better – helping more children

Yes folks, here is your opportunity to spread smiles this Easter.  Nitro Neo will be doing what is now becoming his annual Easter egg drive for children in unfortunate circumstances.

This Easter Nitro Neo will not only be supporting the work of Derbyshire Children’s Hospital, but also Barnardo’s the leading national children’s charity by delivering chocolate eggs to spread more smiles, to more children, in more places.

Nitro is appealing to his friends, family and fans to donate as many chocolate eggs as possible to share equally between the two charities to put a smile on as many children’s faces as possible this easter time. In addition, he’s set up a JustGiving page to raise money with the proceeds going directly to Barnardo’s.

 

In years gone by, with the help of each and every one of you, Neo has managed to give 250 toys to the children’s hospital, followed by 180 easter eggs as well as raising much needed awareness of MND with the Ice Bucket Challenge.  He can’t do it without you, so here’s how you can get involved in something amazing.

 

Get in touch through the following channels and let us know if you can donate – we’re happy to collect eggs if you can’t get them to us:

Tel:  07527 494879

www.facebook.com/ImNitroNeo

www.twitter.com/Nitro_Neo

Comment on the blog

Donate via JustGiving

 

Neo kick started his appeal by using the prize money he won taking the hole shot in his last race to buy some chocolate eggs.  

Neo has received a donation from his sponsors Judd Racing and Muc-Off.  Sainsbury’s supermarkets across Derby have also offered Neo a chocolate egg trolley dash worth over £100 – so he’s off to a good start.

Neo’s next step is appealing to local media organisations asking for their support to raise awareness and help with his fund and egg raising efforts – so here’s hoping they show support for this great cause.

 

The easter eggs and donations will be handed over as close to Easter Sunday as possible – so we need your chocolate eggs by Thursday 2nd April so you can help make a child smile this Easter, imagine if each of Neo’s fans gave even one egg each, it all adds up! In true Nitro Neo style he will take his motocross bike when visiting the children, he’ll spend time with them and let them have a sit on his bike if they are feeling well enough – he will sort the whole package for a day of smiles 😀

 

Finally – thank you once again to each and every Nitro Neo fan – you’re the ones that make all this possible, and all of us at Nitro HQ are extremely grateful for your support.

 

#NitroChristmas video preview

#NitroChristmas video preview of

Neo McCartney officially launching Christmas

Team Nitro had to move fast once they were informed Neo had been chosen as intu Derby shopping centre’s local hero for all of the work he does to help people.  You can read my blog about it here.

The team called upon the services of HTB Productions to eternalise Nitro Neo’s big day in glorious HD video.  Here’s what Harvey had to say from HTB Productions:

I wasn’t sure what to expect when meeting Neo and the team, however it was a pleasant surprise. Nitro Neo is not your average seven year old, it seems as though he was born for motocross fame. He has been one of the most entertaining and easy going people I have done a shoot with, he doesn’t freeze or shake when a camera is pointing in his face. As a matter of fact he does the opposite, Neo takes it all in his stride. Dancing and waving to make the video as fun and amusing as possible! Definitely the coolest seven year old out there. I look forward to working with him and the team in the future.

Here is the #NitroChristmas preview that landed in the office today, we can’t wait to see the final video.

Nitro Neo is crowned local hero for Xmas light switch on

Nitro Neo brings moto action to home town

Christmas light switch on

It is with great excitement that we can announce Nitro Neo has been asked to play a major part in turning on both Derby City Centre and intu Derby shopping mall Christmas lights.  The news just broke on ITV News:

intu Derby informed Team Nitro that they are so impressed with Neo’s selfless acts for his community at such a young age, he has been crowned their “Local hHero” and he’s invited to the shopping mall on Saturday 15^th November to be the main attraction at their biggest event of the year, the Christmas light switch on, entertainment details here.  They are also rewarding Neo’s acts of kindness with a VIP shopping experience worth £1000! WOW!  We have to admit nobody deserves it more, Neo is a hard working and very thoughtful boy.  Here is the video of us breaking the news to Neo:

The Christmas fun also announced by Derby Telegraph doesn’t end there.  Nitro Neo is in demand this year, following the light switch on at intu, Neo will be whisked away by the main man himself – SANTA – to start the city centre Christmas parade.  Derby LIVE have asked Neo to bring a flavour of something new to the city centre Christmas light switch on, and Neo won’t disappoint. He is going to lead a Christmas parade through the city centre, on his motocross bike of course, in front of thousands of revellers who come to enjoy the festive entertainment being put on by intu Derby and Derby LIVE throughout the day; all this at the tender age of 7!

 

Neo would love to see you all there!

Neo’s VIP day will begin around 10am thanks to intu, and after he has been made to feel as special as the people he gives his time to, you can join him for the big countdown to the light switch on at 4pm on Level 2 near the food hall. After these celebrations Neo and Santa will be whisked away by security to Sitwell Street where Neo will lead the parade on his motocross bike, through the city’s pedestrian zone and up to the Cathedral on Iron Gate; taking motocross to the people!

 

Once the parade is complete Neo will join Capital FM presenters Dino and Pete on stage at The Market Place where he will have a chat before standing side by side with Santa and other performers to switch on Derby City’s

Christmas lights at 6pm, in-front of over 6000 Christmas shoppers expected at the festive event – what a night!

We’re so proud of you Neo, well done!

For more information on intu Christmas light switch on, please visit their website. More information on Derby LIVE’s Christmas parade and light switch on is available here.

Approximate timing:

1030am Nitro Neo commences VIP day at intu.

3:30pm Nitro Neo on standby for light switch on at intu.  Stage entertainment begins at The Market Place.

4pm Nitro Neo welcomed on stage to turn on intu shopping centre lights.

4:30pm Nitro Neo leads Derby LIVE Christmas parade from Babington Lane, through pedestrian zone; St. Peters Street, Corn Market, to the Cathedral on Iron Gate.  Passing Derby LIVE Capital FM stage in the Market Place around 5pm.

5:45pm Nitro Neo on standby to go on stage at the Market Place.

5:55pm Nitro Neo welcomed on stage by hosts Dino and Pete from Capital FM.

6pm City centre lights are turned on.  BOOM!!!!!!!

Watch here exactly what Neo spent his reward money on……selfless once again, treating his whole family to a well deserved holiday.

The ITV story following the big day gives a great insight into how much the crowd enjoyed the event:

HTB Productions also followed Neo for the day so you can see how exciting it was for everybody involved:

News brought to you by Babe Behind the Blog, signing off until next time.

Nitro Neo’s Eggstravaganza is One Chocolatey Hit at Hospital

Congratulations to Nitro Neo, who yesterday took an impressive…drum roll please……hospital record breaking… 180 easter eggs in to Derbyshire Children’s Hospital (oh, and four packets of mini eggs 🙂 )

I’m sure you all saw the Facebook and twitter posts on his Easter eggstravaganza, where he aimed to collect as many eggs as possible so he could donate them to children spending Easter in hospital. He told his team he wanted to make the poorly children happy again after his Operation Christmas Smiles, and chocolate always makes him happy, so he figured the eggs would make the kids in hospital happy too.

Nitro Neo with Aleena Naylor at the radio station

Well, Derby folk soon caught wind of what we was up to, and on the Friday before his delivery Aleena Naylor from BBC Radio Derby invited him in for a live

interview to chat about the egg collection and his motocross racing. He did really well, I think Aleena was pleasantly surprised at what a good interview he gave, they do after all say not to work with children or animals in media! You can listen to the interview here and I’m pleased to say that afterwards the egg total increased by over 40, also with some help from his fans and friends track-side.

So, around comes Monday 21 April, eggstravaganza day.  I get up bright an early to help out and get those eggs delivered to the hospital.  It took forever to fill the car with Easter eggs and it was quite the balancing act (seriously, 180 eggs in a car was a challenge!) and Neo’s team made sure to get his motocross bike loaded up too incase any children felt well enough to sit on it for a photo.

When we arrived the Play Team were waiting for us outside with a big trolley to push all the eggs inside. They took Neo straight up to the children’s wards where he spent the morning giving out chocolate eggs to the patients and talking about his racing with their families and staff. Lots of parents were impressed and it definitely put smiles on faces of children who are having a bit of a rough time.

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Neo managed to personally hand out about 50 eggs, and sign some autographs too. He asked if the rest could be given to outpatients so children coming in for appointments would also get an Easter egg from him. What a good egg hey?!

Neo also raised £40 to donate and the staff will use it towards some entertainment for the children staying in hospital. He was even given an additional £13 from nice parents on the ward who were inspired by his efforts, so a big thank you to those people! Neo will be popping back later this week to hand over a cheque for £53.

All in all it was a great morning and Neo was super excited and pleased to be able to give something to the hospital again.

Thank you to everyone who helped him gather so many eggs, he can’t do it without you and you have helped contribute to a great cause. Nitro Neo sends special thanks to family and friends who contributed, Jenna at Moto45, Kingsway Sainsbury’s and Sainsbury’s Local in Mickleover, Mind Your Weight, Neo’s school friends, ASDA Long Eaton, JJBBA students, and CJMX racers.

Nitro Neo’s Eggstravaganza Gets Air Time

I know, I can’t quite believe it either, but it’s on Facebook so it must be true!  So I’m sat at the Team Nitro office preparing to blog about Neo’s race last weekend when the boss hands me the phone.  It was only BBC Radio Derby asking if Nitro Neo would go to the studio to be interviewed about his efforts to deliver Easter eggs and spread smiles at Derbyshire Children’s Hospital this coming weekend!  I know, our teams little 6 year old racer being chased for a live interview.

Neo is being interviewed live at the BBC Radio studios in Derby at 8am Friday 18 April 2014.  Tune in tomorrow morning for the interview, Nitro Neo + Radio studios = something interesting on air! Listen on 104.5, 95.3 and 96FM, 1116AM, online and mobile.  If you’re listening and want to get involved, tweet using #nitroneoaid, or post to ImNitroNeo on Facebook.

You can hear the interview again here and check out his last charity campaign ‘Operation Christmas Smiles’ here.