Two charities in Nottinghamshire have made the list a unique one-off addition to the annual Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, created in honour of Her Late Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. They are among the 20 charities that have been recognised for their "exceptional work to empower young people".
The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service is the highest award given to local volunteer groups. It was established 20 years ago to commemorate The Queen’s Golden Jubilee.
It has recognised around 250 outstanding local volunteer groups across the UK each year to date. The Lace Market Theatre in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire County Scout Council in Linby have now made the list.
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From large household names to those operating on a smaller scale, the work of each awardee is vital in providing young people aged 16-25 with new opportunities, challenges, activities and skills. Her Late Majesty The Queen displayed a life-long dedication to public service throughout her 70-year reign. This one-off edition of the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service recognises the thousands of volunteers who have showcased a similar longstanding commitment to their work.
Sir Martyn Lewis CBE, the QAVS Chair, said: “These awards are a timely acknowledgement of the wide-ranging support and encouragement that is available to young people across the UK.
“They highlight the indispensable role that the voluntary sector plays in targeting help, advice and guidance where it is needed most. These awards should also be seen as a tribute to the millions of volunteers and donors who, in difficult times, provide the resources of time and money which contribute so powerfully to the social fabric of our country."
Judging panel member Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson said: “I was delighted to be part of the judging panel for the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Volunteering Award. The process highlighted the amazing amount of work that is being done across a wide range of organisations and how it truly transforms the lives of so many people.”
Lucie Vickers, StreetGames Head of Volunteering and Youth Voice, said: “We are thrilled to have been awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Volunteering Award. Creating opportunities for young people from low-income, underserved communities to become volunteers and future community leaders is at the heart of our Doorstep Sport approach, and we are delighted that the impact of this work has been recognised through this prestigious award.”
Kevin Munday, Chief Executive at City Year UK, said: "The journey towards receiving the Platinum Jubilee Volunteering Award is the success of hundreds of talented and dedicated volunteers taking the right small steps towards social change for over a decade. This Award represents a joyful and proud giant leap forward into the kind of future our volunteers have all aspired to."
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