Summary:

TREE founder Matt Johnston received the Royal Humane Society Testimonial on Parchment for lifesaving action. The award recognises individuals who act selflessly in critical moments to preserve life. This case study explores the significance of the award, how it reflects TREE’s values, and why it now forms part of the organisation’s heritage narrative and public profile.

The Challenge:

Acts of emergency response require decisive action, responsibility and personal risk. When the incident occurred, there was no time for hesitation. The situation demanded judgement, calm and the willingness to intervene in circumstances where inaction could have caused further harm.
Although separate from TREE’s archival work, this moment captured the same qualities that underpin TREE’s mission: duty, stewardship and care for others.

TREE’s Role:

While the award was received before TREE was launched, its values are directly connected to the ethos that guides the foundation. Matt’s approach to the incident reflected qualities that are central to TREE:

Taking responsibility when others may not be able to
Acting with integrity and clarity under pressure
Prioritising the safety, dignity and wellbeing of others
Understanding that custodianship is both a personal and public duty

These same principles guide TREE’s handling of sensitive historical documents, its engagement with communities and its commitment to evidence based interpretation.

The Evidence:

The Royal Humane Society recognised Matt’s actions with a Testimonial on Parchment, an honour reserved for individuals who demonstrate significant personal intervention in saving a life. The certificate is formally recorded by the Society and is now preserved as part of TREE’s broader narrative of service, responsibility and custodianship.

Outcomes and Impact:

The award contributes to TREE’s public credibility in several ways:

It highlights the values of integrity and responsibility embedded in TREE’s leadership
It strengthens the foundation’s profile when engaging with heritage institutions, schools and public bodies
It provides an authentic personal narrative of duty that connects with TREE’s mission to preserve and interpret histories of hardship, resilience and survival
It now forms part of TREE’s organisational story, featured in the annual impact report and the founder biography

Beyond public recognition, the award aligns TREE with a tradition of service that is both personal and intergenerational.

Next Steps:

The Testimonial on Parchment will be framed to museum standard and included in TREE’s evolving collection of personal heritage items. It will also feature within TREE’s public exhibitions and publications where appropriate, illustrating the connection between personal duty and TREE’s wider ethos of custodianship.

TREE will continue to highlight acts of service, resilience and responsibility within its educational and interpretive work.

Honouring duty and custodianship. The Royal Humane Society Testimonial on Parchment awarded to TREE’s founder