YOUNG CITIZEN AWARDS 2026

Every year the Rotary Club makes Awards to young people from our area in recognition of outstanding citizenship,and this year we have been delighted to make 6 Young Citizen Awards. They have all been nominated by local organisations that work with young people, for their outstanding contributions to the local community.

This years winners were:

LILY-JAI RADFORD

At 9 years old, Lily is our youngest award winner this year and has the distinction of being nominated twice!

Her mother wrote that for the past 4 years Lily has been a carer for her little brother. He  is autistic with a PDA profile, and a combined ADHD and sensory processing disorder. Lily connects with her brother on a different level than the adults who care for him. She can calm him down in a crisis, supports him and teaches him everyday skills to allow him to be independent where possible.She also supports her other brother on her Dad's side who has  autism too besides limited speech. She has made many sacrifices to care for her brothers, which the family try to accomodate in other ways.

Additionally, Lily was nominated by her brownie leader, Rebecca Yeoman, who said she was an outstanding brownie, and their little badge queen. The interest badges are designed to be completed in the girls' own time. Whilst many do not do this, Lily loves getting her badges. She has completed 20 in her own time and has only been a brownie for 19 months.She has also achieved her brownie bronze award and is well on the way to achieving her silver and gold awards.Rebecca says that Lily is a joy to have as a brownie, she always comes in uniform  and attends all sleepovers and events. She supports the younger brownies and is an amazing friend to all the other girls. They are all proud to have Lily as part of their unit.

EMILY POOLE

Emily is a member of the Watton Air Cadet Squadron and was nominated by her Commanding Officer, Flight  Commander Alex Stapleton.for her achievements in the two years since she joined the group. She has achieved a nationally recognised qualification in first aid, as well as internal qualifications in radio operation, space studies, leadership and shooting. She has also represented the Squadron and Norfolk and Suffolk Wing at cross country on several occasions.

She has a particular interest in road marching, where she is required to walk up to 40km per day at pace.Last April she earned her silver Road Marching badge after walking 80km over two days.This achievement was all the more remarkable as she completed it with an injured ankle, when others would have quit.

Her enthusiasm and engagement with the Squadron and it's activities is admirable and she can always be relied upon for support when needed. She shows remarkable resilience, maturity and professionalism for a young person of her age and the Air Cadet Squadron want to recognise her achievements and dedication.

POPPY ALLEN

Poppy is 17 and has been nominated by Ellie Brown, former Team Leader with the Watton Youth Group. Poppy has been a member of Watton SPACE, a project that focusses on young people that have had difficult circumstances and aims to help set them on the right path.

She has had a difficult time over the last few years but has worked incredibly hard to ensure this doesn't affect her future. She is a young carer for a couple of her family members and does a lot at home to support them. She is also a volunteer at Watton Youth Group. She is an amazing volunteer. The children ,ove having her there and she is always teaching them one of her many skills. 

Poppy is now working hard to achieve her dream of becoming a lawyer, taking every opportunity  that comes her way. From undertaking Gold Dof E to achieving an internship at a law firm, she consistently  pushes herself. She deserves to be recognised for the sheer amount of effort she puts into bettering herself, while also supporting those around her  and in her community.

ROSY LANG

Rosy was nominated by Russell Dee, Vice Principal of Wayland Academy for her kindness, compassion and organisational skills in connection with one particular project. Independently, she formed links with the community and led a whole school initiative to ensure elderly residents at a local care home received personalised gifts at Christmas. She was the driving force behind a whole school hamper programme, and was able to be among a group of pupils who delivered the hampers directly to the residents.

Previously the elderly residents were encouraged to share their interests and passions, which resulted in them receiving a hamper which was tailored to those interests. Hampers included letters, food items and gifts.

Rosy's father is in the military and has to manage her emotions when he is away on military tours. Now studying for her GCSEs Mr Dee describes her as THE role model student for the younger years to aspire to be, and is proud that Rosy is part of the Wayland Academy community.

JASMIN MARISON

Jasmin was nominated for her award by Jayne Eastwood, leader of 1st Watton Guides. Since joining the group Jasmin has blossomed both with her attitude to her peers and to the Community as a whole. She has found the last 2 years challenging, having received a SEND diagnosis early in Year 6.

When Jasmin moved to High School she found it quite challenging, and more so because her best friend went to a different school. Despite her own problems,Jasmin always helps the younger guides. She has been a wonderful Patrol Second and will move up to be a Patrol Leader in September. Jasmin attends all fundraising events and supports any events that the Guides attend to do with the Community. She is supportive of her Mum who works long hours 7 days a week as a Carer in the Community. 

EVELYN WELSH

Evelyn is a member of Watton Army Cadets and has been nominated by her Commanding Officer, Staff Corporal Aidan Hall. She joined in May 2023 and now holds the rank of Corporal of Horse. She  has proved to be a dedicated member of the detachment, nearly always assisting with external events and working nhard to complete her training, even in subjects she's not very keen on.

Evelyn has recently completed her 4 Star First Aid at Work qualification, and has now started teaching First Aid to the younger members of the Detachment. She is due to attend a Senior Cadet Teaching course in October.

She was crowned the Squadron best shot in an air rifle shooting competition and has shown an enthusiasm for walking and navigation, as evidenced by her completion of the Cateran Yomp earlier this year to raise money for the Army Benevolent Fund. This  involved walking 36 miles through the foothills of the Cairngorm Mountains in under 24 hours, in all weathers.

In her spare time Evelyn is an active member of the Rainbows, helping the 4-7 year old girls to learn social interraction skills. Her teaching of socialisation skills extends to her part time work at Dorrington House Residential Home where she works with the residents, helping them to engage with people and maintaining their mental and physical wellbeing.