Two Dixons Unity Academy students have met King Charles at Buckingham Palace after scooping a top national award.
Nathan Campbell and Ronnie Walters, both 16, created the thriving Unity Community Hub to support pupils and the wider community at their Armley school.
They won the national JD Foundation Community Impact Award at the King’s Trust and TK Maxx and Homesense Awards National Final.
The award recognises entrepreneurial young people who have made a positive contribution to their community or school and have developed their own personal skills through teamwork.
On Wednesday (25 June), the pair attended a reception at Buckingham Palace to meet King Charles, Founder of The King’s Trust, who congratulated the award winners on their achievements.
Ronnie and Nathan were honoured yesterday at the star-studded awards ceremony, hosted by Ant and Dec, and attended by many celebrity supporters and Ambassadors of the youth charity.
They were presented with their award by Sir Gareth Southgate and Andy Higginson, Chair of JD Group.
The King’s Trust and TK Maxx & Homesense Awards honours and celebrates the successes of those who have been helped by The Trust, and those who support them, in the UK and around the world.
On winning the JD Foundation Community Impact Award, Ronnie and Nathan said: “We’re so proud to win this award! It’s so rewarding to see our small idea, that stemmed from our own experiences now contributing so much to so many people.”
Both Nathan and Ronnie experienced a difficult transition from primary to secondary school as a result of the pandemic. With much of their learning in Year 6 and 7 taking place online, they struggled to build friendships and adapt socially to their new environment. It also impacted their ability to study.
Entering Year 9, Nathan and Ronnie heard about The King’s Trust Enterprise Challenge programme, an inter-school competition aimed at developing young people’s confidence, by being supported to setup a business or social enterprise idea.
Inspired by their own community, lived experience and the cost of living crisis, they competed to setup ‘Unity Community,’ a hub acting as a food bank, community cafe and play area.
Despite not winning the regional final, Nathan and Ronnie were determined to bring their vision to life. Unity Community officially launched in April 2023. Now open every Friday, the hub acts as a food bank, uniform exchange, lending library, play area, and a community café.
Their project has gained significant attention, including a visit from Leeds West and Pudsey MP and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves.
Andy Higginson, Chair of JD Foundation said: “A huge congratulations to Ronnie and Nathan from everyone at JD Group and JD Foundation.
“What you have achieved in such a short space of time is having such a powerful impact on your local community and you should be so proud of yourselves. We’re excited to see what’s next for Unity Community as it continues to support families for years to come”
Sir Gareth Southgate who presented Ronnie and Nathan with their award said: “Ronnie and Nathan embody the very spirit of this award and community impact. Incredibly socially conscious, it is a honour to recognise their incredible hard work dedicated to serving their community and those most at need. They are a shining example of their generation.”
Both Ronnie and Nathan were invited to a very special game at Leeds United courtesy of JD and the JD Foundation and were treated to hospitality tickets and a stadium tour.
They were presented with personalised shirts pitchside and also received the exciting news that they were the national winners of the JD Foundation Community Impact Award.
Nathan was unable to attend on the day, but was still very much part of the celebrations, and Ronnie called him to share the good news.
Youth charity The King’s Trust gives young people the skills and confidence to get their lives on track. Three in four young people helped by The King’s Trust in the past five years have moved into work, training or education.
The award comes after the ‘Unity Community’ hub held a special event in May celebrating two years of supporting students and their families, as well as the wider community of Armley, Farnley and Wortley.
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