Six Salford voluntary groups received the prestigious Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, which has equivalent status as the MBE, at a special ceremony at Gorton Monastery in east Manchester on Monday 3 August.
The six charities include – Access 2 All Areas, Eccles Community Hall Organisation, Friends of Walkden Station, Salford Disabled Motorists, Start in Salford and Lowry Volunteers (VIPs).
One of the recipients, chief executive of Start in Salford, Bernadette Conlon said: “All of our staff, volunteers and members are absolutely thrilled to receive this award which recognises all the hard work that takes place daily to provide our services to vulnerable people in Salford.
The award also helps us to recognise the very important contribution our volunteers and all volunteers make to support the delivery of services in the community. We shall use this prestigious award to help us to continue to raise awareness around the issues of mental ill health.”
Another recipient, Julia Fawcett OBE, chief executive of The Lowry, said: “Our volunteers are an integral part of our operation and we are thrilled they have been recognised with this national award. They are one of the reasons The Lowy is so rooted in the local community – and we couldn’t ask for a better welcome for our visitors.”
In total twenty-two voluntary groups from across the county collected an engraved, commemorative crystal trophy and a certificate signed by Her Majesty the Queen presented by Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Greater Manchester, Warren Smith and the Vice Lord-Lieutenant, Mrs Edith Conn.
The ceremony was attended for the first time by Martyn Lewis, former ITN and BBC news broadcaster and journalist, who is Chair of The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service Committee.
Commenting on all the Salford award winners, The Lord-Lieutenant of Greater Manchester, Warren Smith, said: “To have six award winners from Salford is impressive and more than any other Greater Manchester borough has ever received. Each charity has an inspiring story and it’s both humbling and heart-warming to hear them.
All help improve the lives of local people and is therefore so deserving of this prestigious award, the equivalent to getting an MBE, which champions best practice in volunteering. I would like to see even more of Greater Manchester’s voluntary organisations nominated next year’s awards.”
The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service Committee Chair, former broadcast journalist Martyn Lewis CBE said: “I warmly congratulate all of the inspirational voluntary groups who have been rewarded for their community work with a Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service. The judging panel for this year’s awards were struck by the quality and breadth of all the successful groups.
The thousands of volunteers who give up spare time to help others in their community and to help solve problems demonstrate the best of democracy in action.”
