A SALISBURY woman was recently honoured with a Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee Volunteering Award at a special reception in London.
Susannah Hardyman (nee Clark) who set up a national education charity - Action Tutoring - received the award on Tuesday, November 28 in recognition of the significant impact of its volunteer tutors on disadvantaged young pupils across England.
The award, equivalent to an MBE is now known as the King's Award for Voluntary Service was presented to her by special guest of honour, Her Royal Highness Princess Anne who complimented on the relatively young history of the charity and its impressive impact in just a decade.
Susannah said: “I am delighted to receive this award alongside other renowned and centuries-old charities such as the British Red Cross and Scouts.”
Susannah added: “The recognition serves as a reminder of the invaluable contributions made by our volunteers within their local communities across the country. They are not only helping disadvantaged pupils with academic progress but also, increasing their sense of confidence and life chances.”
Susannah was born in Salisbury and attended South Wilts Grammar School for Girls from 1996 to 2003.
Her mother was a midwife at the Salisbury District Hospital for many years and her father served in the Royal Artillery.
Susannah studied theology at St John's College and she holds a Master's degree from the King's College London in politics, theology and NGOs. Before establishing Action Tutoring, Susannah worked in research and project management roles in the charity sector.
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Action Tutoring was founded in 2012 to recruit volunteers to help support disadvantaged young people across the country. In the 2022-2023 academic year, 1744 volunteers supported more than 5,000 primary and secondary schools in more than 25,000 sessions in 140 schools across the country.
Susannah said: “Not only do we support pupils who wouldn’t otherwise be able to access tutoring, but also our model empowers motivated volunteers from diverse backgrounds to positively impact their local communities."
Today, the charity has over 70 staff and impacted over 30,000 pupils with the support of close to 10,000 committed, high-quality volunteer tutors from a diverse range of backgrounds.
Last month, Susannah met with Salisbury MP, John Glen, who was then Chief Secretary to the Treasury and now Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office to explore the possibility of extending Action Tutoring’s work to Wiltshire schools and to discuss the future of the National Tutoring Programme.
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