A nine-year-old Cub Scout who presented flowers to the Duchess of Cambridge and who walked 14 miles for charity, has been nominated for our Young Citizen Award.

Hafsa Gachi, of the 7th Goodmayes Scouts group, was picked to meet the Duchess at Windsor Castle last month because of her good behaviour and attendance and shared a few words with the mum-to-be.

The day before, the pupil at Al-Noor Primary School in Green Lane, Goodmayes, showed bundles of spirit in joining older girls in a long trek from Hainault to Barking to help the Mayor of Redbridge’s Appeal, despite the fact she was limping.

She has been nominated for the Recorder/Redbridge Rotary Club award, sponsored by the Exchange Ilford shopping centre.

Hafsa, who lives in Sandhurst Drive, Goodmayes, took on the walking challenge with girl Scouts because her mum Sabrina Mansoor was on it, even though the other Cubs walked 12 miles.

The youngster said: “It was tiring but it was fun.”

Fareena Aslam, her Scout leader, said: “The feisty determination Hafsa showed in her bid to complete the whole walk and not give in was unprecedented and very impressive.”

The group raised more than £2,000 for the Redbridge Carers Support Service and Redbridge Mencap, the two causes chosen by Cllr Muhammed Javed, the Mayor of Redbridge.

Well-behaved members of her Cub pack were picked to be in with a chance of meeting the Duchess and lucky Hafsa then found her name was drawn out of a hat.

The wife of Prince William asked her if she had been to the castle before.

Hafsa said: “I said I hadn’t been there before and I liked it a lot. It is really beautiful.”