Young Jewish volunteer wins award named after Princess Diana

A young Jewish volunteer has been added to the Diana Award Roll of Honour established in memory of the late Princess of Wales in recognition of her social action and humanitarian work.

Cidney Miller, a youth leader with JLGB, said she was “shocked and honoured” to receive the prestigious Diana Award, which recognises young people aged 9-25.

Judges said Miller’s story was “truly inspirational” after hearing how she first got involved in social action aged 11, when she signed up to do 50 hours’ volunteering to gain her Yoni Jesner Award.

Since then, she has achieved all levels of her Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, with JLGB highlighting her skills at “engaging, inspiring and leading young people, as well as her dedication to selfless acts”.

The charity described her as “a standout superstar” who had led and represented young people through Covid lockdowns, including through virtual activities.

“A hundred years from now, schools will look back at these past few years in their history lessons and study how the Jewish community – and how young people – reacted to the pandemic,” said JLGB’s Neil Martin. “The case study and role model they will learn about is Cidney Miller.”

Reacting to the news, she said: “Hosting nightly virtual programmes during the pandemic was a vital lifeline for young people for over a year during lockdown, helping us all to feel less alone and part of a community during a difficult period.”