Young Ambassador Award

(Originally known as the Lions Youth Award)

The award is open to boys and girls aged 14 to 18 years  in recognition for services to the community. 

In the first instance, applicants are supported and interviewed by the local Lions Club.     

The local winner then competes at South East District level against other club winners.

  That winner then represents the South East District at the Nationwide competition.

This year the Young Ambassador of the 21st Century for Tonbridge Lions Club  is 

Emily  Morrison

2006/7 proved to be another successful year for the club in this competition, when our candidate, Emily Morrison, became the fourth Tonbridge candidate in the last five years to reach the Multiple District final.   The club competition was the strongest we have ever had with 6 very strong candidates.  Having come through that round, Emily was successful against 9 other competitors in the southeast competition.

Emily, head girl at Tonbridge Grammar School, has done most of her community work in the field of Arts, especially drama.  For the past 4 years she has run all the extra curricular dance clubs at the school, teaching more than 100 girls each year.  She has also written and directed productions.  As part of the school’s outreach work she has run drama clubs at local primary schools.  She took part in the Soho Young Writers Scheme and had one of her plays put on in a West End theatre.  She has also presented papers at regional conferences for teachers and for talented young people.

With the money she was awarded from the Lions, Emily plans a range of projects that she hopes will last for a number of years.  She is helping a talented primary school pupil by paying for piano lessons for her.  She is planning to create a mobile Arts library with a range of resources and finally to donate money to the community theatre group of which she is a member.

Undoubtedly Emily was a very strong candidate and her failure to win the national final only shows what quality the Award scheme brings to our notice.  She was a delight to meet and certainly proved to be an excellent ambassador for the club.