Residents are urged to nominate their favourite local voluntary group to win the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service (QAVS).
This is highest award given to volunteer groups across the UK to recognise outstanding work done in their own communities. It was created in 2002 to celebrate the anniversary of the Queen’s coronation, and is likened to the equivalent of an MBE.
Any group doing volunteer work that provides a social, economic or environmental service to the local community can be nominated for the award. Each group is assessed on the benefit it brings to the local community and its standing within that community.
Winners receive a certificate signed by the Queen and a domed glass crystal, and representatives from the group may also be invited to attend a royal garden party. Nominations for the award are promoted by the office of the Lord Lieutenant.
