Ballymoney teen 'crowned' by King Charles as Coronation Champion for her volunteering work

16-year-old Lauren Bond is one of 500 outstanding volunteers to be chosen as the nation’s Coronation Champions.

Lauren is the Youth MP for North Antrim, the International Officer for The Secondary Students Union Northern Ireland, a member of the Northern Ireland Youth Assembly, a Royal Air Force Air Cadet Corporal and is an active volunteer for a variety of local and national charities.

Lauren impressed Coronation Champion judges with her voluntary work and her service to the community. As North Antrim’s Youth MP Lauren has been campaigning to make Northern Irish History a mandatory part of the curriculum before GCSE level.

Lauren has also campaigned for the recognition of the females who shaped the peace process who are currently excluded from the current curriculum. Lauren was invited to speak at a reception in the House of Commons celebrating 25 years of the Good Friday Agreement and spoke of the importance of peace, and the need to educate young people about the past in order to build a brighter future.

Lauren has also campaigned for disability rights, including mandatory autism training and teaching and equality in healthcare. Lauren has been a proud advocate for rights and

equality campaigning for education surrounding domestic abuse, coercive control and healthy boundaries. Lauren is the Northern Ireland representative for the UK Youth Parliament’s social action group, and has spoken out throughout the cost of living crisis on topics such as cost of school uniforms and food insecurity to ensure that no child faces financial barriers when striving to reach their goals.

Mental health activism has shaped a lot of Lauren’s political work and she has campaigned for mandatory education surrounding mental health to be carried out in schools to remove the stigma surrounding mental health. She has encouraged people to speak out about their mental health. Lauren’s involvement in mental health campaigning stemmed from a 100 mile run she did in the month of August when she was aged 13 to raise money for Teenage Cancer Trust. Through this fundraiser she engaged with young people battling cancer, and learned of the importance of adequate mental health support.

All Coronation Champions, including Lauren, have been invited to attend one of the official Coronation celebrations. They will also receive a specially designed, official Coronation Champions pin and a certificate signed by Their Majesties.

Lauren said: “I’m unbelievably grateful to have been chosen for this award, with so many other incredible nominees. I hope this can encourage other young people to stand up for what they believe in and know that they can make meaningful change.

"Volunteering with a range of organisations has completely transformed my life, it’s definitely a lot of hard work but seeing the difference you can make, no matter your age, makes it so worth it. I’m really excited to attend the coronation concert next month.

"I think this is an amazing initiative to recognise the hard work of those who help to shape their communities and it truly is an honour to share this experience with so many outstanding volunteers.”