A YOUNG fund-raiser and a dedicated volunteer, both from Rugby, have been honoured at the inaugural Air Ambulance Service (TAAS) Showcase and Awards evening at the Vox in Birmingham.
Kloe Johnson, 12, scooped the Big Impact award, as well as a Special Merit award, for co-founding children’s fund-raising club #TheCrew.
And Janet Hurrell was Highly Commended in the Volunteering category for ‘going above and beyond’ for the charity.
The Big Impact award, the top award TAAS can give, is awarded to someone who has made an enormous impact on the charity, incorporating its values of Courage, Creativity and Compassion – and the charity says Kloe Johnson has done exactly that.
Kloe began fundraising when she was just seven years old, and by the time she was nine she had already raised thousands of pounds through her school and friends.
Kloe – along with her best friend Anna – formed the club #TheCrew and soon began recruiting more members.
#TheCrew now has over 1,600 members, with children all over the UK raising vital funds for the lifesaving Children’s Air Ambulance charity, all via the club.
Kloe was also presented with a new BMX bike, donated on behalf of Halfords, for all her impressive hard work.
Kloe said: “I became involved with the charity at an early age because I enjoyed it, and as I grew older, I began to understand more the impact the charity has and how it saves so many lives.
“I started #TheCrew to try and get more youngsters involved and I can’t believe that it’s become so big – over 1,600 members across the country! I am really honoured to receive these two awards from such an amazing charity.”
TAAS CEO Andy Williamson said: “I’d like to take this opportunity to congratulate Kloe on making such a big and everlasting impact on our charity, and to thank her for the incredible input she’s had from such an early age. Kloe thoroughly deserves this award.”
Janet Hurrell has been a committed volunteer with TAAS since January 2017, when she joined the Supporter Care team at the charity’s Rugby HQ.
For over two and a half years, she has provided customer service to hundreds of TAAS supporters, ranging from researching volunteer recruitment opportunities and arranging meetings for potential new volunteers, to proofreading new policies and procedures.
Particularly over the past year, Janet has been a great support with the recruitment of new volunteers. Her HR background has helped when the charity set up its new volunteering system and practising training delivery before launching it to the wider charity, including over 1,000 volunteers.
She was also one of the first to ask if she could return to volunteer in the office when Covid restrictions were lifted.
Mr Williamson said: “I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Janet for her continued support for our charity, and to congratulate her on her thoroughly deserved shortlisting for this award.”
TAAS operates the Warwickshire & Northamptonshire, Derbyshire Leicestershire & Rutland, and national Children’s Air Ambulances
The awards evening, hosted by Jamie Laing and Shirley Ballas, celebrated the charity’s work and recognised charity heroes across 15 different categories.
Mr Williamson added: “I want to again congratulate Janet on her Highly Commended and Kloe for her two awards, but I also want to take the opportunity to thank everyone involved with The Air Ambulance Service for the skill, knowledge, resilience and sheer dedication they have all shown – especially over the last two very difficult and challenging years.
“We have strong values of Creativity, Compassion, and most of all Courage – and these have ensured we have been able to continue delivery of our life-saving service and supporting the NHS.”
