Royal Award for NAJ Tutor and Community Volunteer Anne Kings

05 Jun 2023

Anne Kings, who has been an NAJ Education Tutor for almost 30 years, is also a well-known and popular volunteer from Gillingham, Dorset, has been among those recognised for their outstanding volunteer work by Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla.

500 outstanding volunteers across the UK were recognised with a Coronation Champion Award.

Nominees were judged on their impact on the lives of others, their dedication to volunteering and on how much they inspire those around them.

All 500 Coronation Champions received a specially designed, official Coronation Champions pin and a signed certificate from His Majesty King Charles III and Her Majesty Queen Camilla. 

The certificate was presented by Gillingham Mayor, Cllr Sharon Cullingford at Gillingham’s Coronation Concert, which was organised as a fund raising event for Dementia Friendly Gillingham.  Another Award was also presented to Anne on this evening, which was the Mayor’s Certificate of Appreciation.

Anne had the great honour of attending the Windsor Castle Coronation Concert with her guest Jackie Adams from Top Brass and Wind Concert Band.  Anne and Jackie joined Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla and other award winners to watch a world-class orchestra play interpretations of musical favourites fronted by some of the world’s biggest entertainers.

Anne said;

"I was busy marking JET students assignments when I first received the official looking email to say I had been chosen to receive the King Charles III award.  I really thought it might be a joke or something, but this was followed up immediately by a special delivery letter which confirmed it to be true.  

I only knew a week or so before the Coronation, and I was forbidden to tell anyone until the following week.

Receiving the Award from Cllr Sharon Cullingford at our own ‘Coronation Concert’ was a wonderful surprise; however the icing on the cake for me was when she presented me with yet a second award, her ‘Gillingham Certificate of Appreciation’.  

As I said on that evening, and I will repeat it again, everything I have done I have done for Gillingham, so both these very special awards belong to this Community, and all those special people in our community who I have helped when they have had a dementia diagnosis.

In my wildest dreams I could never have imagined being invited to attend the Coronation Concert in Windsor Castle, but the experience was something that Jackie and I will never forget.

The Concerts which we put on every year to raise funds for Dementia Friendly Gillingham, have always been successful due to the many hours of hard work put in by Jackie and her Top Brass & Wind Concert Band, so she was the obvious person for me to take with me as my plus one”.

Anne is a well-known community volunteer in Gillingham and gives up a significant allocation of her own time for the improvement and wellbeing of residents.

Anne has been a long-standing and committed member of the Gillingham Medical Practice Patients Participation Group. She is an active and energetic Health Champion who supports the Practice and represents patients.

Anne has worked tirelessly for the Dementia Friends Group spending hours educating Committees, Clubs, groups and local Businesses alongside her committee colleagues.

Anne leads many fundraising events, raising funds for excellent causes.

One in particular a Local Music Event working with Jackie Adams from Top Brass and Wind Concert Band and Arabella Heaton Soloist putting on superb concerts locally and raising thousands for the Dementia Friendly Group and Mindful Cafes who support people with Dementia and Memory loss.

Anne was inspired by the Red Cross 1921 ‘Pearls before Poppies’ Appeal, and has made jewellery necklaces and bracelets which were sold in aid of the British Legion Poppy Appeal.

Anne often attends St Mary the Virgin Primary School where she reads to the children and during the Pandemic Lock-down Anne wrote a Children's Bookcalled ‘Button Cottage Lockdown’, which was a complete sell out, even getting noticed by TV Stations, gaining Anne an Interview and small cameo roles on Martin

Kemp's Sunday Best TV programme, where she became known as ‘Granny Annie’.  The proceeds from the book were donated to Julia's House Children's Hospice.

Cllr Cullingford stated “I am so pleased that Anne has been awarded a Coronation Champion. This is a well-deserved recognition of Anne’s outstanding contribution to our community”.

Source: Anne Kings