This year’s King’s Award for Voluntary Service celebrates 281 groups across the UK who have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to their communities.
The dedication of these groups shines through no matter where they are working. Whether that’s in the rural communities of Orkney or the inner city of London.
Here are just a few of the 281 groups operating across the UK.
In Northern Ireland, Fermanagh BrightStartz provides opportunities for those with learning and physical disabilities to get involved in the arts. Volunteers lead classes in a variety of disciplines such as singing, dancing and drama, as well as hosting social events for all those attending and the wider community of County Fermanagh. The group work year round, ensuring that everyone has an equal opportunity to engage in culture and the arts, this culminates when each year Fermanagh BrightStartz produces a professionally staged show for a local theatre.
Through their work, the volunteers of Fermanagh BrightStartz, hope to open up the arts to all and provide their beneficiaries with a space to improve their skills and make friends.
My Green Valley in West Glamorgan, Wales helps to keep Swansea Valley ‘Green’. The community organisation engage in regular litter picking, preserving their local green spaces and sports grounds for the use of all.
My Green Valley reaches out to relevant sporting organisations, such as The Welsh Rugby Union and FA Wales to support their work and attract new volunteers. The group have installed ‘quick pick’ stations at local sports grounds, allowing users to quickly clear their grounds of litter before and after use even when The Green Valley volunteers are not around.
Their work has inspired and restored a sense of pride and local identity in their community after the closure of its mines and railway station.
The Muslimah Sports Association (MSA) offers sporting opportunities to women in Greater London that respect and accommodate their religious beliefs. The volunteers take care to ensure that women from muslim backgrounds are able to access a variety of activities such as football, dragon boat racing, boxing, ballet, archery, yoga, swimming, cycling and nordic forest walking to name just a few.
MSA challenges the societal idea that there are certain activities that Muslim women cannot take part in. Instead they seek to encourage a mindset of inclusion whilst wholly embracing religious beliefs and values through sport.
Services now extend beyond sports: they have a flourishing book club and photography classes, the group has become a true community hub for those attending.
At the northeastern tip of Scotland lies the Orkney Islands, an archipelago home to some of the UK’s most rural communities. Kirkwall City Pipe Band provides opportunities to get involved in music and culture to these communities fostering a strong sense of belonging.
For over 100 years, Kirkwall City Pipe Band has been teaching locals how to play highland bagpipe, the side drum, the tenor drum as well as the bass. The group reaches across generations with members ages ranging from those in their teens to their 70s.
Not only is the group preserving culture, but they are also producing world class musicians, in 2004 the band won the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association (RSPBA) British British Championship and placed third at the World Championships.
Want to explore what’s going on in your local area? take a look at our interactive map to find out more about this year’s King’s Award for Voluntary Service awardees.
On the 14th November we announced this year’s recipients of The King’s Award for Voluntary Service in The Gazette and Gov.uk.