Queen pays tribute to UK volunteering groups with prestigious Award
Seventy-nine volunteering groups from across the UK are today announced as winners of this year’s Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, recognising the outstanding contributions made to local communities by groups voluntarily devoting their time for the benefit of others.
The prestigious National Honour, which is equivalent to the MBE, sets the national benchmark for excellence in volunteering, and the activities of those awarded have been judged of the highest standard.
Those receiving the Award for 2008 range from a community club in Preston working to divert local children away from crime, to a voluntary organisation providing holidays for people with special needs in Exeter and a County Down mountain rescue team aiding lost or injured climbers.
The winners were selected from 379 groups nominated by members of the public who have been helped personally or witnessed the benefits of a group’s work in their community. They will be presented with an exclusive crystal trophy marking their success at one of a number of special local ceremonies being given by the Queen’s Lord Lieutenants.
Phil Hope, Minister for the Third Sector, congratulated the 2008 winners on their success, saying:
“It gives me great honour to pay tribute to all this year’s recipients of the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, who have made, and continue to make such a positive difference to many people’s lives right across our society.
"Volunteering groups contribute hugely to their communities, often without praise for the incredible job they do, and it is important for all of us to recognise their work in helping others and hopefully gain inspiration from their achievements."
More than 600 groups around the UK have now won the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, over the six years since it was created by Her Majesty to mark the occasion of her Golden Jubilee in 2002.
For details of all this year’s Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service winners and information on how to nominate a group that really makes a difference, visit www.queensawardvoluntary.gov.uk, where a nomination form can be downloaded.
