2011 Highlights

I would like to reflect on our highlights from 2011 and to thank you all for your support and interest. With the London Olympics and Jubilee fast approaching, 2012 promises to be action packed and it is the year to be proud to be British and we look forward to celebrating the achievements of our fantastic Award Holders throughout the UK.

I thought I’d share some of our 2011 highlights with you:

• 3,045 fantastic young people have been presented with a Diana Award for their commitment to helping others and improving our communities!
• To commemorate our 12th anniversary we have re-categorised the award to make it easier to nominate exceptional young people, you can now nominate young people aged between 9 and 18 for the following categories:

For young people who tackle bullying in schools and communities.

For young people who run campaigns in their schools and communities.

For young people who raise money for good causes.

For young people who give their time to improve the lives of others.

For a young person whose courageous approach to life has made a direct impact on the lives of others.

• We have launched the International Diana Award so we can recognize young people who are inspiring the lives of others internationally
• 250 young people have helped at Diana Award events, ceremonies and taken part in internships.
• We have recruited 2,000 Anti-Bullying Ambassadors, a peer-led initiative that provides young people with the confidence to campaign against bullying, for more details click here
• We are delighted that two new Patrons have joined us, The Prime Minister, RT Hon David Cameron MP and Lord McConnell.
• Our wonderful new Ambassadors are Twist and Pulse and Bishi.
• We have organised some fantastic celebration events this year at 11 Downing Street and Lancaster House.
• New Award Holders have been celebrated at a number of award ceremonies including Barclays Corporate in Canary Wharf and at the Scottish Parliament.
• We published research in collaboration with the Open University that shows that cyber-bullying is on the increase and 38% of young people are affected.
• Our first charity dinner at St Paul’s Hotel raised £6,000 – thank you so much to everyone for their support.

It is a difficult time for charities and any donation you can spare would be hugely appreciated. It costs £120 to provide each of the exceptional young people with the recognition and support they so richly deserve. If you can, please make a donation of £10 per month, or whatever you can afford via this link. It would be a wonderful Christmas present and means we can celebrate even more fantastic young people so that they are encouraged to do more.

We all look forward to seeing you and hearing from you in 2012.

With warmest wishes,

March 2011

As we move nearer to Spring and away from the icy blast of Winter, the Diana Award organisation is a hive of activity with plans during the next few months to effectively raise the profile of the Award UK-wide!

We have made a cracking start in the past few weeks. On 15th February we formally welcomed the Prime Minister, the Rt Hon David Cameron MP as Patron to the Award at a Reception at No. 11 Downing Street, kindly hosted by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Rt. Hon George Osborne MP.

At the event the Prime Minister said, “The Diana award is a wonderful way to leave a living legacy to the late Princess and to recognise our country’s talented and inspirational young people who volunteer, work and campaign for the benefit of others. As a proud patron of the Diana Award, I hope this helps to showcase some of the remarkable achievements of our young people and in doing so, inspires many more to get involved and make a difference.”

The event clearly echoed the Prime Minister’s hopes as the Award Holders, who hosted and led the event, spoke inspiringly about their fundraising initiatives, championing causes, developing anti-bullying projects, building cohesive societes and their aspirations for the future.

Menzies Distribution, already supporters of the Diana Award in Scotland, held an event at their Scottish Distribution Centre to launch a campaign to raise awareness about the Award and encourage nominations across the Nation. Lord McConnell attended and accepted his new role as Patron to the Award.

He said, “There are thousands of youngsters in Scotland and across the UK who make a terrific contribution to their schools, families and communities. The Diana Award recognises their efforts and inspires them to continue making a contribution to society right through to adulthood.”

Our work continues as a lasting legacy to Diana, Princess of Wales and living evidence that young people are committed to social action and are improving our communities.

With warmest wishes,

January 2011

A very Happy New Year to you all.  2011 has certainly kicked off at an enormous pace for the Diana Award and we are full steam ahead to ensure that it is a very successful year and that our profile and prestige will continue to rise at an enormous rate!  Please do continue to help us in reaching this goal and also in encouraging nominations of inspirational young people for a Diana Award!

Last year we processed 523 nominations and welcomed 4,083 new Award Holders to the community.  We look forward to increased numbers for 2011. To nominate an inspirational person or group click here

We are also delighted to announce that Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale has agreed to become a Patron to the Award.  He was formerly First Minister of the first Scottish Government and has done much to support and promote the Diana Award in Scotland.  As a Baron and a member of the House of Lords, he will continue to support the Award, particularly in Scotland and we are so grateful to him and honoured that he continues as a keen supporter of the Award and its Award Holders.

I continue to feel in awe of all that our Award Holders do and achieve.  On 17^th December over 80 Award Holders battled through blizzards and freezing weather to attend Inspire Day – a conference and celebration day of Award Holders and their projects and ideas!  It was exhilarating and truly inspiring and the gold star went to the 20+ young people who travelled overnight from Scotland to be with us.

On New Year’s Day, two Award Holders Gertride and Mildred were guests of Radio 4 Woman’s Hour special New Year’s Day Programme of Inspiring Women.  They spoke movingly, strongly and impressively about their project,  Breakin’ the Cycle to reduce gang and knife crime and were truly inspirational in what they said and what they do.

With warmest wishes,