A YOUNG helper has been rewarded for her caring nature after her acts of kindness saw her win the Badger of the Year award.

The prize, which was contested by young St John’s Ambulance volunteers across Essex, was presented to nine-year-old Ella Freeman at Brentwood St Thomas’s Church.

Ella’s first knowledge of the award was when she was called up to receive the accolade, with her badger leader at St John’s Colchester, Jan Devall, having nominated her in secret.

It was, unsurprisingly, a huge badge of pride for the Colchester High School pupil, who joined St John’s Ambulance Badgers last year having previously been part of the Rainbows.

Badgers, which allows boys or girls to join from the ages of five to 11, is not dissimilar to the Brownies although there is a greater emphasis on first aid and emergency care.

Part of the challenge for Ella’s mum, however, was keeping it from her daughter that she had won the award, despite it being open to Badgers across the county.

She said: “We’d been told she was nominated, but we had to keep it a secret – we told her we were going to the carol service where she was part of the nativity with her sister, Amelia.

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“The majority of the service had taken place, and then they said they had rewards to give out.

"Some of the things the kids have done is incredible.

“The first thing Ella knew about it was when her name was read out.”

Ella’s Badger leader decided to nominate her after she offered a kind hand to a young boy at the remembrance service last month.

“She got nominated for her ongoing kindness and compassion, but the example they gave was when they had the Remembrance Parade in Colchester – they had to march down the High Street and there was a young boy who became really overwhelmed.

“Before the badger leaders realised there was a problem, she was holding his hand and making sure that everything was OK – she just realised really quickly.”

When asked where Ella got her caring nature from, her mother said it just seemed to be an innate quality.

“It’s just in her – she’s got this want to help everybody all the time.

“She’s just incredible, particularly with younger children.”

Young Ella has since managed to recruit her younger sister, Amelia, to St John’s Colchester Badgers as well.