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Press Release: 17 JUNE 2008
London event encourages nominations for prestigious Queen’s volunteering Award
The Office of the Third Sector in the Cabinet Office today held an exclusive event in the capital, to tell invited guests from across London and the South East how volunteering groups in their communities can be nominated for the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, a National Honour equivalent to the MBE.
The prestigious Award was created by Her Majesty to mark the occasion of her Golden Jubilee in 2002, and is the highest honour that can be bestowed upon groups of individuals who give their time freely for the benefit of others in the local community.
An audience of local Mayors, council officials, volunteering group representatives and members of the public heard how eligible groups could be nominated for the Award in recognition of their outstanding work. Encouragement was also given for those in the local community to make and support their nominations.
The Queen’s representative in Greater London, Lord-Lieutenant Sir David Brewer Kt CMG, welcomed guests, saying:
“The voluntary sector is vital to all aspects of community life, and the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service has proved an important way of bringing recognition to those often hidden groups who have dedicated themselves, in some cases over many years, to improving local people's lives.”
Those attending were then offered inspiration by Gracia McGrath, Chief Executive of Chance UK, winners of the Award in 2006 for providing mentoring programmes in the local area for children aged 5-11 years with behavioural difficulties. She spoke about the impact winning has had on their group’s volunteers and its work, adding:
“Winning the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service was a real turning point for Chance UK. It's not only a fantastic recognition of what the group does and has achieved, but the fact that it's the Queen who has recognised our work has made a great difference in terms of funding opportunities and for raising our profile and recruiting volunteers locally. If you know a group in your area, get out there and nominate!"
655 groups around the UK have won the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service since 2002, 153 of which have been awarded to groups in the London and South East region, including 18 announced in 2008.
For further information on the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, or to download a nomination form, visit www.queensawardvoluntary.gov.uk.
– Ends –
Notes to editors
About the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service
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.
Groups must be nominated for the Award – self nomination is not permitted. You can nominate a group (two or more people) if it is based in the UK, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. The group has to have been volunteering for the benefit of people in the UK or overseas for at least three years and more than half its members must be volunteers who have the right of residence in the UK. Groups solely concerned with fundraising for charitable purposes are not eligible. Further details on entrance criteria and the nomination process are available from www.queensawardvoluntary.gov.uk.
For further information
Mark Atkins, Consolidated 020 7781 2391 or marka@consol.co.uk
Helen Little, Consolidated 020 7781 2331 or helenl@consol.co.uk
Image from l-r: John Knights, Policy Manager - Volunteering, OTS; Dame Betty Asafu-Adjaye, Mission Dine Club; Cllr John Clark, Mayor of the London Borough of Havering; Cllr John Farebrother, Mayor of the London Borough of Wandsworth
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