As we all know Tameside, Oldham and Rochdale have many voluntary and charitable organisations which do amazing work within their communities. Without the volunteers who give their time so freely, many of these groups would not survive and so it is right that these bighearted people are recognised in a significant and meaningful way. The King’s Award for Voluntary Service (formerly known as the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service) is the highest award given to local volunteer led groups across the UK.
A number of groups within our areas have already been successful and include The Shed and The Anthony Seddon Fund in Tameside, The Street Angels and Mountain Rescue Team in Oldham and The Friends of Hopwood Hall and Soup Kitchen in Rochdale. However, there are so many more deserving groups out there and it is up to us all to ensure that they are considered for this wonderful Award.
Key eligibility requirements include:
- The Group must have been operating at a consistently high level for a minimum of three years
- It must provide a specific local benefit and have an outstanding reputation locally
- The Group may have some paid staff but at least half of the total workforce must be volunteers who are initiating and driving the group’s work
There are many benefits for successful groups including a big boost to the volunteers as well as great publicity for all their efforts in the community. Successful groups are presented with a crystal award and a certificate bearing His Majesty’s signature. They also gain the right to use the KAVS logo on their stationery and other materials.
Anyone who is familiar with the work of the group can nominate as long as they are not one of its employees or volunteers. The ‘window’ for nominating groups opens on Thursday 1 June 2023 and information and guidance on how to nominate can be found at https://kavs.dcms.gov.uk.