The King's Award for Voluntary Service
Introduction
The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service, also known as The Queen's Golden Jubilee Award for Voluntary Service by Groups in the Community is an annual award given to groups in the voluntary sector of the United Kingdom. Winning groups are announced in the London Gazette on 2 June each year, the anniversary of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. The award is equivalent to the MBE and is the highest award that can be made to a voluntary group. The award is managed by the Cabinet Office.
Nominations
Criteria for nomination Any group of two or more people doing volunteering work that is a social, economic or environmental service to the local community can be nominated for the award. In order to be nominated, volunteer groups should do work that: • provides a service and meets a need for people living in the local community • is supported, recognised and respected by the local community and the people who benefit from it • is run locally Also, volunteer groups should have been running for three years or more.
How do I nominate
You can download the nomination form and guidance notes by going on the DirectGov website (link below). You can also, write or telephone the administrator of the award and ask for a paper version of the nomination form and guidance to be sent to you. Find out the administrator’s contact details by following the link below.
You must return the nomination form by post or fax to the administrator of the award. You can’t send the nomination form by email because you need to sign the form.
Recipients
Recipient winners for 2011 130 volunteering groups across the UK have been awarded The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service, recognising the valuable services they have delivered to their local communities. Find out more about the 2011 winners of The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service.
They are:
East Midland Bingham and District Audio Magazine Friends of Thringstone Harmless
East of England Blue Cat Initiative Colne Valley Special Sailors Garden House Hospice Halstead in Bloom Peterborough Racial Equality Council (PREC) Southrepps Commons Trust Thriplow Daffodil Weekend Committee Watford Arabic School
London Esther Community Enterprise Petts Wood Playgroup for Children with Special Needs Redbridge Education and Social Welfare Support Group (Awaaz Group Community Empowerment Redbridge Voluntary Care Scene and Heard Value Life
North East Contact Morpeth Mental Health Group Ltd Cowpen Quay Community Association Gateshead Cleveland Hall Community Association Newcastle Chinese Healthy Living Centre St Oswald’s Hospice Volunteer Group Trimdon Station Residents’ Association
North West CADAS Volunteers Colne Open Door Centre Ltd Eden Valley Hospice Volunteers Icebreakers Manchester St Ann’s Hospice Volunteers St John Ambulance Cheshire Young Carers Thomas Street Bowling Club Tindall St Allotment Group Twinkle House West Lancashire Carers Sitting-In Service West Lancashire Disability Helpline Wythenshawe Wheelers
South East AFC Portchester Football Club Ascot Area Alzheimer’s Association Bexhill Community Bus Ltd BYHP (Working with Young People) The Billingshurst Community Partnership Brighter Futures for Older People Buckingham, Winslow and District Citizens Advice Bureau Carers UK Isle of Wight Branch The Wintershall Plays CHASE hospice care for children The Chilterns MS Centre Ltd Dingley Family and Specialist Early Years Centres East Grinstead Museum Effingham and District Community First Responder Scheme Friends of Little Chalfont Library Gay Elderly Men’s Society Hampshire Search and Rescue Health Action Charity Organisation Helen & Douglas House International Cookery Exchange Isle of Wight Ramblers Me2 Club NCI Folkestone New 2U and Time Out 4U Newbury Community Resource Centre Ocean Youth Trust South Off the Record Oxted and District LINK Association Painshill Park Trust Ltd The Prison Phoenix Trust Rowhill Nature Reserve Society The Stewards of Surrey County Agricultural Society Surrey Drug and Alcohol Care Utulivu Women’s Group West Berkshire Mencap Windrush Valley Boxing Club Windsor and Maidenhead Community Forum
South West Avon Valley Railway Heritage Trust Constantine Enterprises Company Cornwall Samaritans Exeter Children’s Orchestra Glastonbury Opportunities Hope Nature Trust Hospiscare Voluntary Group Hospital Radio Plymouth The Julian Trust Lanreath Amenities Group Mendip Community Transport Dial a Ride Car Scheme The Open Door Centre Pathfinders St Agnes Museum Trust Take Note Totnes Caring Ltd TR14ers Trelander and St Clements Community Association Westward Ho! Youth Theatre Wiltshire Search and Rescue
West Midlands Ashley and Loggerheads Community First Responders The Bromyard Light Brigade Chadsmoor Tapestry Group Chesterton Community Forum – One Stop Shop The Project Group Rudyard Sailability St John Ambulance Quadrilateral Division, Newcastle under Lyme Staffordshire Search and Rescue Team Walking for Health in Wolverhampton Yarpole Community Shop Association Ltd
Yorkshire and Humber Friends of Sandall Park Hull Kung Fu Humber Rescue
Scotland Addiction Recovery Centre East Lothian Special Needs Playschemes Elgin Youth Development Group G15 Youth Project Harmony – Bringing life through Music Oban War & Peace Museum The Paired Reading Club Playbusters Ltd Retired and Senior Volunteer Programme Forth Valley Scottish Fisheries Museum Boats Club Sleat Community Trust Spòrsnis (Ness Sports and Recreation Association) Tweed Wheels (Tweeddale Community Transport) Upper Tweeddale Community and Red Cross Drivers Woodroad Regeneration Forum
Wales Abergwyngregyn Regeneration Company Thornwell Football Club
Northern Ireland Dunmurry Community Association Lisburn Community Self Build Ltd Lisburn Voluntary Laundry Service Royal Ulster Constabulary GC Foundation Volunteers Channel Island The Alderney Library Cancerbackup Jersey Prostate Cancer Support Group Dyslexia Day Centre Guernsey
Isle of Man Noble’s Hospital Volunteers
Case Studies
Scene & Heard is a mentoring project that partners the inner city children of Somers Town, London with volunteer theatre professionals. It gives give them an experience of one-to-one adult attention and lets them write and perform their own plays.
As well as improving the children's literacy skills and general attitude towards education and learning, it also develops their communication and social skills, and offers them role models from beyond their normal experience.
Commenting on the award, Rosalind Paul, artistic director of Scene & Heard, said: "We are honoured and delighted to receive The Queens Award. This is a glorious recognition of the amazing work that our 450 volunteer theatre professionals do for the children of Somers Town. Times are tough for us, but this award is a huge boost and will help bring more people to enjoy the incredible work our children produce, and to invest in their future."
The Honours system
The British honours system is one of the oldest in the world. It has evolved over 650 years as the country has found alternative means of recognising merit, gallantry and service. Honours lists are published twice a year at New Year and in mid-June on the date of The Queen's official birthday. Anyone can receive an award if they reach the required standard of merit or service, and honours lists contain a wide variety of people from different backgrounds. Anyone can nominate someone for an award.
The Monarch and the Government
The monarchy is the oldest institution of government in the United Kingdom. The UK's monarchy is considered the oldest of all modern constitutional monarchies (others exist in countries including Belgium, Norway, the Netherlands, Spain and Monaco). Most of the powers once exercised by the monarch have now been devolved (transferred) to ministers. In certain circumstances, however, the monarch retains the power to exercise personal discretion over issues such as appointing the prime minister and dissolving Parliament, even though these powers may never be used in practice, or may only be exercised symbolically.
As a result of a long process of change during which the monarchy's absolute power has been gradually reduced, custom now dictates that the Queen follows ministerial advice.
The Queen performs a range of important duties, such as summoning and dissolving Parliament and giving royal assent to legislation passed by the UK Parliament, the Scottish Parliament, and the National Assembly for Wales or the Northern Ireland Assembly.
The Queen formally appoints important office holders, including the prime minister and other government ministers, judges, officers in the armed forces, governors, diplomats, bishops and some other senior clergy of the Church of England. She also grants peerages, knighthoods and other honours. In instances where people have been wrongly convicted of crimes, she is involved in pardoning them.
In international affairs, the Queen (as head of state) has the power to declare war and make peace, to recognise foreign states, to conclude treaties and to take over or give up territory.
History
The award was announced by The Queen on 30 April 2002, in celebration of the Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II, as part of her Golden Jubilee speech to the House of Lords and House of Commons. The first awards were made in 2003.
980 volunteering groups from across the UK have been honoured since The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service began to June 2010.