2006 Award Winners

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Gatehouse of Fleet YMCA Drop In Centre

Gatehouse of Fleet YMCA Drop In Centre provides recreational facilities for the young people in this small rural town of Gatehouse of Fleet and outlying villages, which are not provided locally. The team of volunteers encourage the young people to regularly partake in a variety of music, art and crafts workshops, informal educational excursions and the Duke of Edinburgh Awards.

The Drop in Centre was set up in 1995 after complaints were made to Gatehouse Fleet Community Council about the regular congregation of local young people in the town car park and toilets. At a public meeting the young people expressed their wish to have their own ‘drop in centre’ to compensate for the lack of accessibility to entertainment and sports facilities in larger towns, due to limited public transport after 8pm. 

As well as providing a place for young people to socialise, the Drop in Centre is run by volunteer youth workers, who build the trust of the young people by offering a stable and consistent relationship that is outside the family unit. The youth committee organise and run their own fund raising events to help pay for excursions, which helps foster communication and integration with the wider community and gives the young people a sense of responsibility.

The Centre provides a regular and important focal point where all local young people feel welcome, included and valued at a vulnerable time in their lives.

Comment from Josephine Cameron, Chairman, Gatehouse of Fleet YMCA Drop In Centre:

“I am delighted Gatehouse of Fleet YMCA Drop In Centre has received the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service. The young people of Gatehouse of Fleet and outlying villages are at the heart of our organisation and this prestigious Award from Her Majesty the Queen is ultimately for their benefit. This much appreciated Award recognises the regular and consistent work of our 63 volunteers and will encourage them to continue their valuable support of this successful YMCA Drop In Centre”.

Contact: Josephine Cameron
Call: 01557 814 675

Gateway Wheelers

Gateway Wheeler's mission is to provide suitable equipment and support, to enable people with disabilities to enjoy the benefits of cycling and the outdoors.

The club was set up nine years ago by a group of cycling enthusiasts, with the intention of sharing their love of cycling with those with physical disabilities and special needs. Since then the club has continued to expand and grow to meet the demands of an ever-growing group of clients across a wider geographical area.

The club gives their clients an opportunity to cycle on specialist cycles, which they would otherwise not have access to. For example the blind and visually impaired can access the 2-man cycles, which they share with one of the volunteers. The club gives their clients the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors, exercise, build friendships and share experiences such as working as a team on the side-by-sides and tandems.

Gateway Wheelers is exceptional, in that it is extremely flexible in catering for all of its clients different needs, offering them an experience to enjoy the outdoors on a bike, which without the club and its volunteers would not be possible.

Contact: Brian Milner
Call: 0776 4495902
Website: www.gatewaywheelers.org.uk

Glaven District Caring Committee

Glaven District Caring Committee provides extra care and comfort as well, as medical and personal services, to the elderly and frail in the twelve villages of Glaven Valley in North Norfolk. The Committee works from the Centre where the clients can feel welcome and cared for in warm and friendly surroundings.

The organisation was set up to provide a group of scattered isolated villages with the services a main town can offer, for example hairdresser, beautician, chiropodist, optician and hearing aid services.

The Committee aims to enable the elderly to remain in their own homes for as long and as comfortably possible. The volunteers support the small core of employed staff to serve coffee, lunch, and chat to the clients. Volunteer drivers and helpers operate an ambulance three days a week to transport people into the Centre and take them home again.

Contact: Maureen Buckey
Call: 01263 740762
Email galvencentre@freeuk.com

Gloucestershire Association for the Blind

The Gloucester Association for the blind works with over 2500 visually impaired people in the county, supporting and helping to provide for their needs.

Established in 1858, the GCBA provides facilities, support, equipment and literature for the visually impaired. As well as this, the association's volunteers work with the local authorities, organisations, bodies, institutes, trusts or funds, to promote and raise awareness to the issues affecting those who are visually impaired. As well as this the group works with the friends, families and carers of those with visual impairment in the country.

Through a visiting service, GCBA gives it members the opportunity to discuss their eye condition with someone who can give practical advice. The group also runs Members Information Groups Service meeting, which are designed to educate inform and provide mutual support for newly registered partially sighted and blind people on practical issues such as using the library, home safety and using specialist equipment. The GCAB also provides a small number of drivers who can assist the visually impaired in an emergency.

Contact: Marcus Green
Call: 01242 221170
Website: www.glos-blind.co.uk

The Guernsey Specials Gymnastic Club

The Guernsey Special Gym Club provides opportunities for children and young people with a variety of special needs to do gymnastics at all levels. The club aims to promote the development and self esteem of the children they help as well as giving young people volunteering the opportunity to gain experience of working with the disabled, while contributing to the community.

The club is run in a similar way to that of a gymnastic club for the able-bodied, but with considerably more support.  All the children are involved in all the club’s activities, despite their huge range of needs, and in some cases profound disabilities, including autism, and lack of mobility. Most are from special needs schools, but some mainstream children with special needs also attend, such as those with low self-esteem, or victims of bullying.

While carrying out their gymnastics activities the children not only improve their fitness and physical disabilities but they also learn team work, the parts of the body, colours, discipline, verbal communications skills and organisation and other social skills. The children also participate in competitions for the Special Olympics, and one member was selected for the UK’s Special Olympics gymnastic team.

The club was set up Sarah Bamford, a physiotherapist, in response to a need she perceived some 12 years ago after watching a video on the benefits of gymnastic activites for special needs children. At the time, there was virtually no opportunity in Guernsey for such children to participate in gymnastics.

The emphasis of the Club is on self – perception, self esteem, building confidence, personal achievement and progress. Awards are given for a variety of achievements, appropriate to the individual’s abilities and children gain considerable self-esteem by progress to awards status. There is also a benefit to the community, in that people’s perception of children with special needs can change when they seem them making progress in gymnastic prowess, and in some cases achieving island national or even international status.

 Contact: Sarah Bamford
Call:
01481 238846
01421 238846
Email: sarahannbamford@cwgsy.net

Gwavas Residents Association

The Gwavas Residents Association represents the views and needs of residents who live on the Gwavas housing estate in Penzance, Cornwall . The estate is located in one of the most deprived areas of the UK , where a high percentage of residents are on very low incomes.

The Association represents over 250 homes, with over 320 residents actively participating in a campaign to promote the area and tackle issues affecting the local residents. The association has done this through a number of schemes, which has brought the community together including a youth group, an annual 'fun' day and activities throughout the summer holidays.. Other activities on offer include IT training, arts and crafts classes and first aid courses, which are also available to all adults on the estate. The Association also organises drop-in sessions for residents with Citizens Advice representatives, health visitors and employment advisors.

Many of the 18 volunteers who work for the Association have improved their own skills by taking additional training to improve their input to activities run on the estate. These volunteers also represent the estate on a number of local forums, ensuring local views are fully represented. The Association has also had to overcome its own difficulties, including securing a permanent office for the group to run operations from, and securing adequate funding vital for the Association to make a real impact on the community.

Chair Jenny Beamish said: 'We are all tremendously excited about winning this Award. It is particularly gratifying for a residents association to be recognised, as our volunteers support and represent their neighbours and friends to the wider communty. We would like to thank the Reverend Drew for nominating us, and hope that the Award will highlight the work that we do to the whole community.'

Contact: Jenny Beamish
Call: 01736 36502

HEAL

HEAL, an acronym for ‘Helping Everyone Abused Live’, is a self-help and support service for adult survivors of childhood abuse. The group was set up by a victim of sexual abuse who could not find the extra support she needed when her counselling with the NHS had finished. 

Based in Colchester, HEAL has been running for nine years and in the last year alone it has had over 2000 contacts. The group provides a confidential listening service and several weekly group sessions to help people overcome emotional difficulties resulting from abuse such as feelings of stress, loneliness, isolation and guilt.  It also offers support to the partners and carers of abuse survivors to help them understand their own feelings and those of their partners.

The organisation could not operate without volunteers and a vital part of their role is to help members feel safe and help them settle when they first arrive.  After difficult sessions members often need someone to talk to on a one to one basis and volunteers are always there to offer this support.  Through group discussions and activities HEAL helps its members to work through many painful and difficult issues.  Outside of the sessions volunteers also take part in fundraising events and other activities such as a regular walking group and social evenings.

HEAL has a history of networking with other local services providers and along with the manager, volunteers regularly deliver training sessions to other organisations.  Together with Colchester Rape Crisis  and Colchester Gay Switchboard, it set up a steering group looking at the needs of male rape and sexual abuse survivors.  HEAL accepts and makes referrals to other agencies to ensure people are getting the services they require.

John Wills, Heal, said: “We are tremendously proud to be given the Queens Award for Voluntary Service.

Our Volunteers are highly skilled and work extremely hard in a very difficult and sensitive area and we are delighted that they are being recognised with this award.

All our volunteers are invaluable and very special people.”

Contact: John Wills
Call: 01206 505560
Website: www.healabuse.com

Helford River Children's Sailing Trust

Helford River Children's Sailing Trust provides the opportunity for 8-11 year olds to learn how to row and sail.

The trust serves eleven local primary schools and the county school for children with special needs, offering free use of its equipment and trained staff. Set up in the mid 90's, by John Green, in response to the marked absence of local youngsters taking advantage of the opportunity to enjoy the spectacular sailing grounds of the Helford River .

Each school provides its own group of volunteers who act as sailing, rowing and seamenship instructors. By virtue of adding an extra dimension to local children's lives, the trust has given children the confidence to set their sights higher and to tackle challenges that they previously would have thought beyond them.

Contact: John Green
Call: 01326 341 017
Website: www.hrcst.org.uk

Helping Hands

Helping Hands is a group of volunteers that support the needs of the sick within the top end of the Rhyme Valley.

Helping Hands was set up to help the local people and services cope with the high incidents of cancer and respiratory disease, exacerbated by Rhymney Valley being one of the most socially and economically deprived areas in the country.

The group supplies equipment and support to the patients, which helps some seriously ill patients to remain at home and can make life for their primary carers a little bit easier. The volunteers visit patients at home and also help with their continuing care by taking them to hospital for their treatment.

Joyce Williams, Secretary & Trustee: "The Trustees and members of "Helping Hands" are thrilled and delighted to receive the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service.

Everyone at "Helping Hands" is aware the community appreciates all we do, but to receive a Queen's Award acknowledging we "make a difference" shows us that the past twelve years have been worthwhile.  It will certainly be onwards and upwards from now on."

Contact: Joyce Williams
Call: 01685 841 353
Email: Joyatgrugolwg@aol.com

Holme Valley Mountain Rescue Team

The Holme Valley Mountain Rescue Team is a voluntary search organisation that covers the southern half of the county of West Yorkshire. The rescue team provide search, rescue, first aid facilities, equipment and manpower for rescues within the local area.

It has been in existence for 40 years and was originally formed in response to the tragic deaths of two Scouts whilst they were hiking in the area.  The team is affiliated to the Mountain Rescue of England and Wales and is a member of the Mid Pennine Search and Rescue organisation.

The volunteers who make up the team take part in a wide variety of activities, working in conjunction with West Yorkshire Police, West Yorkshire Metropolitan Ambulance Service and the RAF’s Search and Rescue capability.

The team responds to approximately twenty call outs each year, most of which have had a positive set of outcomes, which is tribute to the hard work and dedication of the members involved. They freely give up their own time to train, maintain and repair equipment and generally promote the organisation and safety on when walking, rock climbing and pursuing other outdoor activities, especially for young people.

Contact: Peter Philips
Call: 01484 686 289
Mobile: 07769 653 735

Homecall

Homecall recruits and trains volunteers to support mainly elderly visually impaired clients throughout East Sussex in order to maintain their independence and combat any social isolation they may be experiencing due to their sight loss.

Volunteers work with clients on a weekly basis, making visits to their homes to assist with basic tasks such as helping to deal with correspondence and day-to-day financial matters, checking best before dates on food and ordering items from catalogues. This help is vital to many of Homecall's clients, who look forward to their regular visit and appreciate this personal yet professional way of working. A trained volunteer's help gives them the confidence to maintain their community involvement through social contacts and engaging in activities of their choice.

As volunteers remain with one client, they are able to build a level of trust that encourages clients to achieve their independence. Volunteers often take clients out for tea or a walk, which is of great benefit to elderly clients who live alone. Volunteers themselves find the experience of working with clients particularly rewarding, and encourage them to access services and other organisations, which may benefit them and help them to continue living independently.

Homecall, Liz Wilkinson said : "We are surprised, delighted and very proud to have been selected to receive this award, which is a reflection of the commitment and hard work by everyone at Homecall. We would particularly like to thank our wonderful team of dedicated volunteers, many of who have been with Homecall for several years, and two of whom have volunteered for us for our entire twenty one years!

Contact: Liz Wilkinson
Call: 01323 764597
Email: homecalldirector@hotmail.com
Website: www.homecall.uk.com

Hormead Hares Football Club

The Hormead Hares Football Club offers the opportunity for young people from Hormead and the surrounding communities to train, play football and take part in the social activities of the club. Before the club was established there were limited sports facilities in the local area. However, six years ago two local parents set out to change that and formed the Hormead Hares Football Club, which after just two years of starting received its charter standards from the Football Association.

The club is entirely run by its 40 volunteers, who run the club, maintain the ground and coach over 200 children, boys and girls between the ages of 5 and 15 years. The aim of the club is to give young people from the local area the opportunity to play football in a fun and safe environment. The club also places an emphasis on helping the players to lead a healthier lifestyle, and gives them experience of being part of a team and learning respect for others. The main aim behind the club is for the youngsters, parents and volunteers to enjoy themselves – and if they win a match, then that is a bonus!
 
As well as the training all the players and volunteers get the chance to take part in the social activities of the club, which has furthered helped to strengthen the area’s community spirit  as it acts to fight against the more negative influences that can so easily get a foothold in any community. 

Peter Worby, Hormead Hares Football Club said: “We are really proud to have been awarded the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service. The award is a real credit to our brilliant team of volunteers, who work so hard to ensure the kids enjoy themselves and get as much out of it as possible! To us all, it is not about winning or getting paid – knowing we are doing it for the good of the children and their enjoyment is why we do it!”
 
Contact: Peter Worby
Call:     
Home: 01920 821973
Mobile: 0780 3895937

Home-Start Stevenage

 Home Start Stevenage offers support, friendship and practical help to families with young children in the family’s own home.

The group’s volunteers help the parents, who are struggling to cope on a day-to-day basis, to develop their skills, increase their confidence and self-esteem and enable them to access other services and support in the local community.

The volunteers help by playing with and looking after the children to give the parents much needed time out to catch up with other things that need doing or even to just have a quiet time to themselves.

The group succeeds in making parents lives easier by helping to improve the relationships they have with their children and providing them with the opportunity and the means to get out of their house.

Manager, Lif Bishop said:
“I am so pleased that the commitment and dedication of our volunteers has been recognised in this way. Since we set up in Stevenage 7 years ago, we have had 120  volunteers who have supported families with young children. The families tell us what a big difference it makes at a difficult time in their lives, to have someone who cares, who turns up because they want to be there and want to help. No amount of professional help can replace that. We are all delighted to receive the award and hope it will help us recruit even more volunteers to continue our service for local families.”

Contact: Lif Bishop
Email: homestartstev@btconnect.com

Hospice at Home Volunteers West Mid Beds and Ivel Valley

Hospice at Home Volunteers West Mid Beds and Ivel Valley provides free care and support for people with life limiting illnesses and their families.  We continue to visit the bereaved families after death for a short time.

The organisation was set up in 1987 by a group of business people who realised that there was a need to care for people with life limiting illnesses in their local area. It is now one of the six independent charities in Bedfordshire and the Huntingdon area of Cambridgeshire.

Hospice at Home Volunteers West Mid Beds and Ivel Valley gives people who have little time left to live, time to talk about their feelings and be supported. The volunteers also help their families prepare and deal with the loss of someone who is close to them.

“I was so blessed to have had your Volunteer – she was an absolute angel – she and my Mum hit if off like they had been friends forever.” 

Contact: Sonia Banks
Call: 0776 1650818

Hospice for Burnley and Pendle

Hospice for Burnley and Pendle provides for the special needs of people with cancer or other life-limiting illness, specifically providing palliative care for people in the Burnley and Pendle areas. The hospice is able to significantly improve quality of life for patients and their families and friends.

Before the Hospice was established, terminally ill cancer patients had to travel to Ilkley, Rochdale or Bolton to receive specialist palliative services. This was distressing for the patients and placed a big financial and emotional strain on family and friends.

In 1986 the local Council of Churches and the local Sorotomists played an important part in the formation of the hospice group in Burnley and Pendle. By 1990 the number of volunteers had swelled considerably and fundraising activity was continuing to grow.

The ethos of the Hospice means that support and advice is provided not only for people with life-limiting illnesses but also for their families and friends who are struggling to come to terms with the knowledge that they are about to lose a loved one. By providing these services locally, patients and their carers do not have to travel excessively long distances to receive specialist care. At the Hospice care is given unconditionally and free of charge to adults who need it regardless of their background or religious or cultural beliefs.

Hospice volunteers also play a very important role in providing emotional and practical support for the family and friends of patients. These relationships help to create a very strong sense of family within the Hospice community.

Contact: Brian Hartup
Call: 01282 440 111
Mobile : 0790 6083 386
Website: www.pendleside.org.uk

Interest Link Borders

Interest Link Borders links adults with learning disabilities throughout the Scottish Borders with compatible and trained volunteers so they can meet up on a regular basis to do activities of their choice for example playing golf, swimming, bird watching and going to evening classes or the cinema.

The service helps to improve service users’ quality of life through increased independence, improved social well-being, physical and psychological health and reduced social isolation and exclusion. The service also provides respite for family and carers and increases public awareness and understanding of learning disabilities.

Since the start of the Borders-wide service in November 2001, 180 users of the service have benefited from a total of 240 links. Interest Link’s service is needed because although most adults with learning disabilities now live in the community, they are still socially excluded as they have no social contacts outside their family or day centre, no experience of making friends and no transport.  This is frustrating, isolating and limiting; they cannot pursue interests, participate in mainstream community activities, make choices, gain skills or develop independence.

Interest Link is unique because the service it offers is tailored to suit what individuals want to do and how and where they want to do it. It also achieves real community integration by using volunteers to deliver the service.

Project Co-ordinator Andrew Findlay said “We feel very honoured to have won this award and feel that it is fitting recognition for all the hard work done by our volunteers”.  Convenor Mavis Clark (who is also a volunteer with the Berwickshire Branch) said that she hoped the award would lead to more volunteers joining the organisation: “We have 250 adults with learning disabilities who use the service, and at the moment 100 are linked: we pride ourselves that all our volunteers get an enormous amount of satisfaction and enjoyment from their links and we are always looking for more volunteers to add to our team. We can be contacted on 01573 410760 or though our website at www.interestlink.org.uk.”

Contacts: Andrew Findlay
Call: 01573 410 760
Website: www.interestlink.org.uk

Inverclyde Family Contact Centre

Inverclyde Family Contact Centre works towards restoring and promoting positive relations between children and absent parents where contact arrangements have previously failed often due to domestic abuse or alcoholic drug dependency.

The aim of the centre is to help children maintain positive family links with absent parents. The families referred to the centre are often young with social problems including drug and alcohol dependency, mental health problems or issues relating to domestic abuse.

The centre was established following a study by the Church of Scotland Board of Social responsibility. Local research involving social workers, health visitors and solicitors identified that over 100 families, many in areas of social deprivation, had disputes over contact issues. 

The centre provides furnished rooms with toys to suit all ages and supervised facilities. The volunteers assist by supporting the parents and additional help is also available to parents and children who are vulnerable due to past domestic abuse.

In the last year the centre has assisted 27 children aged between 6 months and 9 years.

Contact: Margaret Foggie
Call: 01475 724622
Email Margaret@foggie.net

Jigsaw4u

Jigsaw4u was set up in 1998 and is a child-centred charity supporting children and young people through loss and trauma whilst also empowering them to have a voice in decision-making about their own lives, the development of Jigsaw4u and its policy and practice locally, nationally and internationally.

Jigsaw4u’s national aims are that every child and young person who has experienced loss and trauma will receive the support that they need – when they need it and in a way that they will find helpful and accessible.  It also seeks to ensure that every school, GP practice and hospital will have a designated person for loss and trauma along the same lines as the already existing designated and lead professionals for child protection.

The young people play a key role in the production of ‘My Shout’, the magazine for looked after children and young people. They were instrumental in organising a trip to Sri Lanka supported by volunteers to provide counselling for child victims of the Tsunami. To increase their effectiveness in Sri Lanka they liaised with Helplanka, a local charity based here in Carshalton, to pool resources and contacts. Volunteers included young people who have had bereavement plus adults to supervise.

The range of services provided by Jigsaw4u is extensive and covers areas as diverse as mediation between children at risk of homelessness and their families and confidential sessions with birth parents whose children have been placed for adoption. Young & Old volunteers also help in Uk in boroughs giving support to bereaved, befriending, magazine contributions, attend workshops and events.

Jigsaw4u is desperately needed as many children are expected to deal with trauma or loss with little or no support from their school or the health service. There is both a local and a national need for Jigsaw4u.

Chief Executive Anne Davies said, “We are delighted to be a recipient of the Queen's Award.  Thank you to all the children and young people, staff and volunteers who have worked together to make a difference in the lives of children and young people who have experienced loss and trauma.”

Contact: Anne Davies (Chief Executive)
Call: 0208 687 1384
Website: www.jigsaw4u.org.uk

Just Us

‘Just Us’, part of Involve Volunteering Project,recruits, vets and trains volunteers to become involved with young people on court orders or those who are at risk of offending in Swansea. The scheme is in its 8th year, and was developed as a partnership between Swansea Council for Voluntary Service and Swansea Youth Offending Team. The initiative operates on the basis of trust, between agencies, families and young people, helping to challenge unacceptable behaviour on a number of levels. 

‘Just Us’ empowers young people to resolve their problems, by providing them with a volunteer befriender who encourages involvement in alternative activities, and acts as an adult role model to discuss concerns and issues they may have.

The volunteers also offer appropriate adult representation at police stations where they provide impartial help and support to young people during their first contact with the authorities.

One volunteer says of their involvement: “There is no greater feeling than ringing the young person to hear his guardian say ‘his face lit up now he knows it’s you’. It really made me realise that just a few hours of my time does make a huge difference.”

Contact: Sasha Habgood / Danielle Lock
Call: 01792 457 299  
Email: involve@scvs.org.uk
Website: www.scvs.org.uk

Knowetop Community Farm Volunteers

Knowetop Community Farm Volunteers work towards advancing education in the fields of horticulture, agriculture, care of animals, recycling and environmental issues. The group assists in the provision of facilities for recreation or other leisure time pursuits with the aim of improving the conditions of life for disadvantaged young people.

The farm was established 25 years ago by the local community of Castlehill, an area that lies within the Social Inclusion Area of West Dunbartonshire. Located at the heart of a depressed community with high levels of unemployment and associated poverty and very limited facilities for young people, Knowetop is a project that serves as a way for young people to build their self-esteem.

Its purpose is to protect and preserve the environment by educating the public about the benefits waste management whilst providing a means for young people to take an active part in improving their surroundings. By creating activity for young people the aim is to deter them from falling victim to the drug culture.

The project has over 118 young volunteers aged between 10 and 16 registered to work at weekends and school holidays, successfully providing recreational opportunities for children and adults within the community who would otherwise turn to anti-social behaviour.

Contact: Dorothy Whitehead
Call: 01389 732 734
Website: www.knowetopcommunityfarm.co.uk

Knowle West Media Centre

Knowle West Media Centre uses media as a tool to involve people in the regeneration of their communities. The centre creates opportunities for participation on initiatives that promote social, cultural and economic development in the local area.

Based in Knowle West, Bristol, the project works with local people exploring the many different ways media can be used to benefit the community. They are involved in 16 different projects ranging from working with secondary school pupils, linking with professional photographers, and working on a digital art project with young disabled people.

The centre was set up in response to a spiralling drug problem identified in the area during the 1990's. A number of local young people died due to overdoses and local people reacted by creating a project that took innovative ways of promoting good health to young people and others in the community.

The group uses media as a tool to involve local people in the regeneration of their local area. They run video and multimedia projects, mange the Knowle West Newsletter and community website, run a digital art project and manage the Knowle West Tackling Domestic Violence website.

Knowles West Media Centre encourages people to explore their creativity but also gives them experience of working with professional practitioners. These opportunities give young people from disadvantaged communities the chance to have far greater aspirations, taking them into new areas and environments.

Contact: Carolyn Hassan
Call: 0117 903 0444
Website: www.kwmc.co.uk

Learning Partnership Literacy Volunteers

Learning Partnership Literacy Volunteers work towards raising the profile of Literacy in the school and community, making learning fun and reading enjoyable for children. By providing positive role models the children have someone to read with, which helps to improve their self-esteem and confidence.

Learning Partnership Literacy Volunteers is one aspect of the Learning Partnerships Charity. It was set up because many children receive little or no reading support at home. Wykebeck Primary school, one of the 15 schools involved in the programme, is based in Burmantofts Ward, which is one of the most deprived and disadvantaged wards within Leeds.

The group helps 100 children over 12 months. Each volunteer gives up their lunchtime to work with at least 4 children on a one on one basis every week during term time. All the volunteers, often with limited experience of working with children, have had to work extremely hard to develop patience, show commitment and consistency, but have established friendly, caring and supportive relationships, which reflect in the children's general attitude to learning and positive social behaviour.

Learning Partnership Literacy Volunteers scheme has also improved positive social interaction skills amongst the children and has helped to establish links with the wider community.

Contact: Gail Clark
Call: 0113 380 6736

Lincoln and District REMAP Panel

Lincoln and District REMAP Panel was set up to meet the equipment requirements of disabled people whose needs were too specific to be met by commercial sources.

Lincoln and District is a branch panel of REMAP GB. Lincolnshire is a large and rural county and many clients are isolated by their disability. The REMAP panel work towards relieving and rehabilitating disabled people, by promoting the use of technology that is not met by the statutory agencies, or is not commercially available.

The voluntary panel produce individual specialised equipment to increase the independence of disabled people and enhance their integration into the community. The volunteers meet to discuss possible solutions to the client’s problems, and then one or more undertake the production of a piece of equipment to meet their needs.

Clients who have been helped by REMAP have been able to regain independence, resume past activities and learn new skills using the designed equipment.

Contact: John Bennett-Powell
Call: 01522 523 656

Literacy Volunteers

Literacy Volunteers help children throughout Nottingham who find reading difficult. The volunteers work with the children to help overcome their problems and discover that reading can be fun.

Literacy Volunteers is a completely independent organisation, but works in close cooperation with schools in the City of Nottingham and the county of Nottinghamshire. The organisation was set up by volunteers in response to the particularly low level of literacy within Nottinghamshire, especially the City of Nottingham and is managed by an elected committee. In most schools some children need help to keep up with others and yet have not been diagnosed as needing special help.

Up to 2500 children are helped each year by the Literacy Volunteers with dedicated helpers are allocated to a particular school.

Richard Wray, Manager of Literacy Volunteers said : "We are thrilled and delighted to receive the award which recognises a decade of service, freely given by our Volunteers, to primary school children in Nottinghamshire."

Such appreciation will spur us on to help even more children in the future discover the joys of reading and the personal fulfilment that that can bring."

Contact: Richard Wray
Call: 0115 915 0820
Website: www.literacyvolunteers.org.uk

LNBP Braunstone ( London Narrow Boat Project)

LNBP Braunstone (London Narrow Boat Project), is a voluntary run, non profit making children's charity, which provides residential facilities on the project's own boats to enable children, young people and the less able to enjoy the experience of canal boating on the inland waterways.

Established in 1981 by a group of teachers, youth workers and canal enthusiasts in the London Borough of Lewisham, the LNBP Project enables young people from many differing backgrounds across the country particularly the more needy and disadvantaged to enter an environment that is different, particularly those from inner cities.

The LNBP project is an opportunity for its passengers to learn more about part of their heritage and experience the countryside. They all work together on the boat, which can help them to develop their team building, leadership and comradeship skills. Over the 24 years, LNBP project has developed its facilities, with an estimated 20,000 youngsters benefiting from the experience during that time.

LNBR Braunstone, fundraising officer, David Otway said: "The Charity is over the moon with the award which, being our 25 th anniversary this year, is a splendid recognition of all the hard work and effort put in over the years by a dedicated bunch of volunteers. This valued recognition will be of great assistance in our promotional and marketing exercises and we are already planning forward for the next 25 years.

"One of our immediate plans for this our 25 th year is to provide 25 additional trips for groups of needy children introduced by the national charity, KidsOut, and arrangements have now been completed for these to take place this June and July. All these trips will be funded through our bursary fund."

Contact: David Otway
Call: 02086997806
Email: dotwayuk@yahoo.co.uk
Website: www.lnbp.co.uk

Longmynd Adventure Camp

Longmynd Adventure Camp is a charitable organisation run by an entirely voluntary group for the benefit of socially deprived and disadvantaged children and young people. The group owns, operates and maintains the Longmynd Adventure Camp situated at the foot of the South Shropshire hills.

The organisation, founded in 1959, offers the residential facility for use by voluntary youth groups who wish to give their members experience of country life and enable them to participate in outdoor activities, which build their confidence, broaden their horizons, involve them in team work and encourage them to learn new skills.

Since its establishment, over 4,000 disadvantaged young people have enjoyed the experience of camp life with all the activities closely supervised by members of their own groups. 

Malcolm Hoad, Longmynd Adventure Camp said: “Everyone on the committee is absolutely delighted with this award and we will enjoy displaying the Queen’s certificate in our main dining hut. Sincere thanks must go to local groups, associations and individuals who have supported the camp in so many ways over the years. The committee looks forward to the future and the chance to develop and improve the facilities we can offer.”

Contact: Don Rogers
Call: 07736500323
Email: donrogers@gmail.com
Or
Malcolm Hoad
Call: 01694 723919
Email: churchway@btconnect.com

Ludlow Marches Skill-building Project

Ludlow Marches Skill Building Project is an initiative to improve the practical skills of young people.  A major focus is engineering and food but skills such as furniture making, textiles, metal work and engineering are also taught.

Local volunteers set up the group when they realised that there was a missing link in the education of a certain section of young people. They needed to support the less academically minded students in practical skills rather than formal education. The young people are taught by a network of 60 volunteers who come from a wide variety of trades and skills. A number of volunteers give up their working time to go into schools in support of the teachers.

The group has been running for four years and some of the trainees are launched into full-blown careers. For example a local student, the first Young Chef award winner is now running a well known local restaurant with a national reputation.  Others have gone on to take advanced engineering, plumbing and electrical courses.

Graeme Perks, Ludlow Marches Skill-building Project said: "The next generation of rural artisans are benefiting from crafts people of many skill types you are pleased to pass skills on which were willing passed on to them by a previous generation. A practical skill with an understanding of business will hopefully ensure the traditions of market towns can continue - a succession of new blood to take over or start up traditional family businesses"

Contact: Graeme Perks
Call: 01584 856562/01584 878202
Mobile: 07977892097
Website: www.craftsinludlow.co.uk
Email: gperks@meadowdesigns.co.uk

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