Year Eleven is notoriously a tough year for students faced with exams and life-changing decisions, but what would you do if you were also faced with the ultimate challenge – battling cancer?

Brave and inspirational Year Eleven student, Lucia Robinson, has faced more than your average troubles approaching her GCSEs. Diagnosed with astrocytoma, Lucia underwent a five-hour operation to remove a tumour from her spine.

After spending three weeks recovering at Bristol Children's Hospital and undergoing two courses of chemotherapy, Lucia decided that she wanted to give something back and so began a fundraising journey that has touched the lives of hundreds of people and earned her the Somerset Guardian's 'Young Person of the Year' award.

Lucia began fundraising for many charities, including Ward 38 of Bristol Children's Hospital, the Teenager Cancer Trust, CLIC Sargent and the Rainbow Trust.

Lucia said: "I really wanted to be able to give something back. My family and I have been given so much support from various organisations. I wanted to do something quite standout-ish, that would capture people's attention, that's where 'Go Blue for Lucia' came from – what is more attention-grabbing than bright blue hair?"

One of their first events saw hundreds of friends, family and supporters turn out for Lucia's fun run, raising well over £1,000.

Fun run organiser, Anna Mercer, said: "The event went tremendously well and we were overwhelmed by how many people came along to support the day.

"What made it for me was seeing Lucia smiling and laughing with her friends and family. Her mum told me she felt like she had gone back to how she was before, something she didn't think she could do. I think it was quite an overwhelming day for her.

"She is doing all these wonderful things and we were so pleased to be able to bring a smile to her face."

The place closest to Lucia's heart is Ward 38 of Bristol Children's Hospital, where she spent weeks recovering after her operation. She said: "The team work so hard in there, it must be one of the hardest illnesses to deal with, it is always sad when someone has cancer, but it is especially sad when a child has cancer. With Christmas approaching, all I could think about were all the families that would spend the day in hospital, so I wanted to do something that would make it a little bit nicer, so they know that there are people thinking about them."

The Robinsons took presents for all the patients on the ward and provided tea, coffee gingerbread, panettone, stollen and other refreshments for the family room over the Christmas period, as well as donating £600 to the ward to buy fans for the patients. But despite all of that, she still wanted to give something back to the hospital and with her mother, family and friends, she embarked on a fundraising campaign, 'Go Blue For Lucia'.

Writhlington School held a mufti day at the end of term in hopes of aiding Lucia with her fundraising goals, raising just over £1,000. Head Teacher, Mark Everett, said: "Lucia is a real inspiration to the students and staff, her fundraising ideas and efforts have been exceptional and she must feel very proud that she is making such a difference to hundreds of people. We look forward to supporting her, not only with upcoming events, but with her GCSEs also."

Lucia recently received an invite to the Bath Pride awards, where she has been nominated for her outstanding efforts, courage and resilience. She said: "It has come at a really pivotal time, treatment has worked really well and I begin my last course of chemotherapy at the beginning of March. It really is going to be an evening of celebration for my family and I.

"I am very honoured to have been nominated for such a lovely award, it's really touching to know that so many people have followed my story and that I have inspired others to try to make a difference, too."