John in afghansitan - pictured on 23rd March 2008

The John Thornton Young Achievers Foundation was founded almost 16 years ago and has recently reached an incredible milestone.

Over £1,000,000 has been awarded to young people in John’s memory since 2008, which is something we could never have imagined possible in the early days. The difference this has made to young lives and the impact on our community is however the most significant.

Any charity is merely the sum of its supporters, and we are so grateful to everyone who has helped the JTYAF to achieve this. John’s Foundation is extremely privileged to receive such fantastic support and we are a great team. Our trustees and ambassadors work tirelessly to ensure that the JTYAF is the best that it can be.

Our volunteers and supporters are also essential to the delivery of our events, and we couldn’t operate without them. Fundraising is understandably at the heart of all we do, and the generosity of our followers is quite honestly overwhelming.

The John Thornton Young Achievers Foundation is a wonderful legacy for John. He would be completely overwhelmed to think that more than £1,000,000 has been awarded to young people in his memory. With every smile that the JTYAF puts on young faces, John is remembered anew.

We are extremely grateful to Andy Martin the Regional associate editor Newsquest, for this fabulous article in the Daily Echo.

Read the article in the echo here