In 2002, in celebration of Her Majesty's Golden Jubilee, the Queen's Golden Jubilee Award for Voluntary Service by Groups in the Community was established. Its purpose is to recognise groups of individuals who are giving their time freely for the benefit of others. It is the highest honour that can be bestowed upon groups of this kind and is equivalent in status to the MBE. As such, the Queen's Award not only serves to provide recognition of volunteer groups, but also demonstrates the high respect in which volunteering is held.

In common with other Queen's Awards, which sit within the government department relevant to their subject matter, this Award is directed and overseen by the Office of the Third Sector which is in the Cabinet Office. The day to day administration and the Award's communications work is carried out by externally appointed agency, Consolidated PR.

In 2006, the Cabinet Office undertook an independent review of the Award as had been agreed when the Award was originally established, resulting in a number of changes to the nomination, assessment and selection process which were recommended and approved by the Queen in July 2007. The Review's recommendations form the basic rules under which the Award now operates.

Contact Details

The Award Administration, PR and Communications are undertaken by Consolidated PR Agency. Their address is:

Consolidated
22 Endell Street
London WC2H 9AD

For Administrative queries, including further clarification of the guidelines, please contact:

Tamara Cummings-John
Award Administrator
Telephone: 020 7781 2330
Fax: 020 7781 2301
E-mail: TamaraCJ@consol.co.uk