YOUNG brownie leader Katherine Frusher, 16, has received a prestigious award for her dedication to helping others.

Katherine – a young leader with the 3rd Rodborough Brownies – has won the individual category in the annual Nairac Award.

The youngster is currently working towards becoming a fully qualified brownie adult leader.

Despite the sudden death of her best friend and fellow young leader two years ago, Katherine continued to remain committed to her brownie unit, not missing one meeting or event.

She received the award of a silver salver to keep for a year, a framed certificate and a cheque for a charity of her choice.

The award was presented by Lord Lieutenant Dame Janet Trotter, patron of the Gloucestershire Branch of The Royal Society of St George during its 36th St George’s Day Service in Gloucester Cathedral on Wednesday, April 23.

Katherine, from Rodborough, is constantly looking for opportunities to take on challenging leadership roles.

She has volunteered with the staff team at the Malvern Challenge, a huge scout and guide camp held annually on Cleeve Hill, where last year she helped marshal car parking for 3,000 participants and their parents.

At school, Katherine supports a younger girl with Asperger syndrome, especially during lunch and break times, and is currently coaching a replacement as she leaves in July.

Since recently qualifying as a Great Britain level 1 coach in archery she has also qualified through guiding as an ‘arrows’ archery coach and takes adapted archery equipment to groups in Stroud, Dursley and Gloucester, encouraging girls aged five to 10 to try a new sport.

The all-rounder travels from Stroud to Gloucester each week by train to help coach a variety of young people with different levels of special needs at the inclusion club at GL1 Leisure Centre.

Katherine has chosen to share the award cheque between Asthma UK and Deer Park Archers, her archery club at the Girlguiding Gloucestershire HQ in Cowley which is fundraising to buy land.

The awards, run by the county branch of The Royal Society of St George, are named in memory of Captain Robert Nairac from Standish, who joined the Second Battalion Grenadier Guards in January 1973.

In 1977, at the age of 28 and during his second tour of duty in Northern Ireland, he disappeared. It later transpired that he had been abducted, tortured and murdered by the IRA.

In February 1979, the Queen approved the posthumous award of the George Cross, the highest honour for gallantry in peacetime, to Captain Nairac, whose body has never been found.