A Perthshire teen has been awarded a Courier Gold Star for her role as a volunteer leader at Rainbows.
Iona Smith, 14, has clocked up an impressive 100 hours of volunteering at the Auchterarder Rainbows unit.
Iona, herself a Girl Guide, supports the five and six-year-old girls at the unit and helps with the running of the activities.
She has also attended outings and overnight trips with the children and hopes to become a young leader for the Girl Guides in the near future.
Louise Emmett, leader of the Auchterarder Rainbows, says the girls have developed a special bond with Iona and her efforts go above and beyond.
In recognition of Iona’s hard work, Louise nominated her for one of our Gold Star awards.
Upon receiving the award during the Christmas break, Iona said: “I’m shocked, it’s a nice surprise. I feel very happy, it’s a big achievement.
“I’ve done Rainbows for a while. It makes me happy to see them so happy doing the activities and helping them learn more skills.”
Iona plans to put her award certificate on her wall and wear her badge to Guides.
Parents Sarah Wheelans and Adam Smith added that this is the first award Iona has received outside of Guides.
Sarah said: “We’re really proud of her. She loves helping out at Rainbows and they absolutely love her.
“It’s good for Iona’s confidence and her future career and the girls benefit from the peer support of someone closer to their age.”
Want to nominate someone for a Gold Star?
Our Gold Star awards are aimed at recognising children and young people’s achievements, both in and out of school.
We are collecting nominations from the public through our online form. Winners of the award will receive one of our stunning badges and a certificate.
Full terms and conditions can be found here.
Conversation