Press Release:
Coronation awards joy for Deborah Johnstone volunteer from Kent
- Deborah is one of 500 outstanding volunteers to be chosen as the nation’s Coronation Champions.
An outstanding volunteer from Kent, has been recognised by Their Majesties The King and The Queen Consort as part of the official Coronation celebrations in conjunction with Royal Voluntary Service.
Deborah has volunteers with various charities including Bowel Cancer UK, Cancer Research UK and Colostomy UK to raise awareness of bowel cancer and lynch syndrome and has been recognised for their contribution and crowned a Coronation Champion. This follows a call out to the nation to nominate their volunteer heroes. Almost 5000 entries were received, with nominations made for individuals aged 14 up to 103.
Deborah impressed judges with how she raises money for charity’s and awareness via social media, she also offers a safe space for other patients to talk to. This is following two bouts of bowel cancer. She uses her stoma story to empathise. She is still young in her 40s and has able to encourage older new ostomates to have confidence. She encouraged one older person to leave the house following his stoma surgery, another to try to go swimming again, and another to get on a plane to take family on holiday. She talks gently about things older people may not want to talk to nurses about. Plus raising funds for vital research.
She also blings her stoma bag up! In an attempt to bring glamour and humour to life with an ileostomy she uses diamantes and glitter to decorate her bag on special occasions. She shares these designs with her friends and normalises it for people who are scared to talk about stoma bags.
With the support of Her Majesty The Queen Consort, a passionate advocate of volunteering and President of Royal Voluntary Service, the Coronation Champions Awards were launched to recognise exceptional volunteers from across the country at this momentous point in history. Across the UK, 500 Champions dazzled the judging panel with the impact of their work, their inspirational stories and unwavering commitment to volunteering.
Commenting on becoming a Coronation Champion, Deborah says “I don’t feel I do anything special, for me it is really therapeutic to normalise stomas, raise awareness of a disease that can be easily treated if caught early, and have a bit of cheeky fun in the process.”
The Coronation Champions Awards invited people across the UK to nominate their local volunteering heroes who are going the extra mile. Nominations were made across eight award categories; supporting older people; supporting young people and children; crisis and welfare; community; sports, culture, and heritage; health and care; sustainability and the environment; and animal welfare.
Catherine Johnstone CBE, Chief Executive of Royal Voluntary Service said: “We were completely blown away by the response to the Community Champions Awards and the huge volume of amazing nominees put forward. Our judges had a tough job selecting just 500 Champions from an array of thousands of inspirational individuals, who all deserve to be recognised and commended. “
“Each of our Coronation Champions displayed a commitment and contribution that far exceeds any expectation and we’re overjoyed to honour and thank them during this exciting point in history.”
Royal Voluntary Service is immensely grateful for the generous support of brand partners Simplyhealth, for supporting the Health and Care category, Sky through its Sky Cares programme, for supporting the Community category and Petplan, for supporting the Animal Welfare category.
Those feeling inspired to try volunteering themselves are encouraged to take part in The Big Help Out on Monday 8th May. The Big Help Out is another official Coronation project, aiming to encourage newcomers to volunteering, bring communities together and create a lasting volunteering legacy from the Coronation weekend.
Royal Voluntary Service is one of Britain’s largest volunteering charities with volunteers supporting the NHS and thousands of vulnerable people in the community. The charity delivers the NHS Volunteer Responders programme for NHS England, enabled by the GoodSAM app, with volunteers responding to over 2.5 million requests for help to support approximately 220,000 people, and completing over 363,000 shifts at vaccination sites. The charity also works in local communities running home libraries, companionship support, home from hospital services and patient transport. Its Virtual Village Hall provides online activities and classes to promote wellbeing and keep people active.
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About Royal Voluntary Service
- Royal Voluntary Service is one of the largest volunteering organisations in Great Britain, providing vital, responsive services which support public health, social care and wellbeing. Its staff and thousands of volunteers support people in need, with the aim of building resilience in local communities.
- Originally set up as the Women’s Voluntary Service (subsequently the WRVS) in 1938, the charity began its life helping civilians during the Second World War.
- The charity has supported the NHS since its inception. Today’s Royal Voluntary Service NHS volunteers provide patient companionship and transport, on-ward exercise sessions, and settlement support for vulnerable patients following a stay in hospital.
- In local communities, Royal Voluntary Service and its volunteers run physical activity classes, dining clubs and social groups which bring people together, promoting better health, social interaction and connection.
- In March 2020, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, NHS England commissioned Royal Voluntary Service to recruit NHS Volunteer Responders to shield the NHS and provide practical help to the 2.5 million most at-risk people who were shielding at home. The programme was extended to support the vaccination drive. To date, NHS Volunteer Responders have delivered over 2.5 million tasks to support approximately 220,000 people, and have completed over 363,000 shifts at vaccination sites.
- In hospitals across the UK the charity also operates volunteer-run shops, cafes and trolley services providing refreshments and company to patients, hospital staff and visitors.
For more information about Royal Voluntary Service, please visit https://www.royalvoluntaryservice.org.uk/