A young girl from Scotland has been named by the Oral Health Foundation as the youngest winner of this year’s Nominate a Smile competition. The competition, which ran as part of the charity’s National Smile Month campaign (17 May – 17 June), aimed to find hidden heroes in communities up and down the UK.

Ten-year-old Libby lives in Dunbar Scotland with her dad, a security guard at a local power station, her mum, a dental nurse, and her little brother Myles, aged seven.  She was nominated by her mother for her infectious smile and dedication to her horse riding.

Libby is hooked on horse riding and has been volunteering at our local riding school for almost a year now.  In her nomination, Libby’s mother Karen, says: “Every single Saturday she goes down and works so hard between 9am-5pm helping to clean out barns, manage the horses, groom and feed them and help out during riding lessons. She then gets back up the next day to go to her loan day with a pony called Ben. She never complains and is always smiling, she’s a star!

“We’re just so proud of her and how much dedication she has to it, no matter what’s going on she’s up and away every Saturday she just loves it so much. We don’t know where she got it from but every minute she spends down there she’s in her happy place.”

One of Libby’s favourite things to do is take her pony Ben into the field. Libby says: “When I ride him, I take him either to the indoor arena or the outdoor one, but I don’t ride him in the field. I prefer the outdoor arena because I like being outdoors.”

The charity was also really pleased to hear that Libby is a top brusher and takes good care of her teeth. Thanks to the competition sponsors, Oral-B, a top-of-the-range electric toothbrush is now on its way to Libby along with a card from the Oral Health Foundation.

Karen adds: “They never complain about brushing their teeth, they just know it’s a job that needs to be done every morning and night because they realise the importance of a healthy mouth and a nice smile. 

“They use a manual brush but it’s actually a perfect time for this competition because we’ve been saying to Libby it’s definitely time to start using an electric one now she’s older.”

We hope that Libby continues to be a top brusher and enjoys her well-earned Oral-B electric toothbrush.

Dr Nigel Carter OBE, chief executive of the Oral Health Foundation, believes Libby has a bright future ahead and hopes that she will continue to keep her smile that so many people enjoy clean and healthy.

He says: “We hope Libby enjoys her new electric toothbrush and continues to spread her caring and positive attitude. I’m sure her horse, Ben, is really grateful for the love and care she shows him, and we wish her all the best in her equine adventures.”

If you would like to find out more information about Nominate a Smile and the National Smile Month campaign head to www.smilemonth.org.