Do you know of a volunteer group that devotes its time to helping others in your local area and deserves a Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service?

The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service is the highest award given to local volunteer groups, recognising the outstanding work they perform within their communities. It was created in 2002 to celebrate the anniversary of the Queen’s coronation and is equivalent to an MBE for volunteer groups.

Any group of two or more people doing volunteering work can be nominated for the award. The majority of the group must be volunteers, and more than half the volunteers must have the right to live in the UK. Volunteer groups should have been running for three years or more to be nominated.

To be nominated, the group should do work that:
• provides a service that meets a need for people living in the local community
• is supported, recognised and respected by the local community and the people who benefit from it
• is run locally

Go to https://qavs.direct.gov.uk / and submit your nomination by 30 September 2014 to make sure they are considered for an award next year.

You don’t have to be part of the group, entry is free and you can make your nomination at any time. Notes to help you can be found at https://qavs.direct.gov.uk/guidance-notes .

The winners are announced on 2 June every year and they will receive a domed glass crystal and a certificate signed by the Queen.
Make your nomination for the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service 2015 today!