The John Thornton Young Achievers Foundation (JTYAF) made awards on 9 February to 40 young people from Ferndown Upper School totalling more than £18,000.
“This is the most exciting day in the JTYAF calendar,” explained one of the trustees Pete Thornton, “We are absolutely honoured to have the opportunity to meet these outstanding young people and present them with their awards. The students have clearly demonstrated their commitment in their chosen fields and it is fantastic that the JTYAF support will help them to further their ambitions.”
Zak Harris and Shannon Hart will use their scholarships to fund an expedition to Thailand where they have been offered a two week placement volunteering at an Elephant Care and Wildlife Rescue project. This experience will help them to achieve their Duke of Edinburgh’s Gold Award.
Hannah Johnstone will be travelling to Kenya to volunteer for the Lunchbowl Network which was set up in 2006 in response to the plight of the orphaned and vulnerable children in the Kibera slum of Nairobi. She will be joining a team of volunteers from her local church and the JTYAF have helped with the cost of the flights.
The 35 bursary awards ranged from swim teacher’s courses and boxing kit to a whole range of specialist equipment to support the students in their studies. This gives just a flavour of the diversity which the JTYAF is proud to encourage and since its formation in 2008 more than 800 young people have received funding of over £300,000.
Headteacher of Ferndown Upper School Alex Wills added: “Once again we are so grateful to the Trustees of the JTYAF for their generosity in supporting our students’ aspirations and dreams. I want to thank especially all those fundraisers who give of their time selflessly to raise money for the charity. We make sure that our students appreciate your efforts and know where the money comes from. Indeed many of our students go on to give money back to a range of charities, including the JTYAF. Above all our thanks go to Pete and Linda Thornton for working so hard to provide so many opportunities for local young people.”
For more information about the work of the JTYAF please visit their website at www.jtyaf.org
