Mortimer volunteers at Buckingham Palace garden party
Representatives of a Mortimer community group were invited to Buckingham Palace recently, after being awarded the South East Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service.
Mortimer Village Partnership was among 111 award winners selected from voluntary organisations across seven counties in the south east and which included 22 Berkshire nominations.
Two representatives of Mortimer Village Partnership were invited to a Buckingham Palace garden party, after being nominated last year by West Berkshire Council and the Community Council for Berkshire.
MVP Chairwoman, Danusia Morsley, said they were ‘over the moon’ to receive the award which she described as the ‘MBE’ for voluntary groups.
The awards – to be formally presented by the Lord Lieutenancy at a future ceremony – comprise a certificate signed by the Queen and an engraved commemorative crystal, entitling the partnership to use the award logo in all its publications said Mrs Morsley.
She said the award had been achieved “...as a result of the work of all those who have volunteered for any of the activities that MVP organise. All the committee who work with me, many giving a great deal of time to the village, but also those who serve at the lunch club, pick up litter at the spring clean, sell refreshments at the pantomime, put up tents and clean toilets at the fun day, deliver newsletters, administer our Facebook page, collect Bag2School bags from pavements, organise the sports weekend, maintain our website, local businesses that offer sponsorship and practical help, and many, many more.”
It was the range and number of volunteers, she added, which impressed the judging panel.
Other award winners included the Reading based, Berkshire County Blind Society, which helps visually-impaired people across Berkshire to live active and independent lives, by supporting them in a varied programme of social, leisure and cultural activities.
ABC to Read, Berkshire – also Reading based – which helps primary school children in the county overcome reading difficulties, also received an award.
Nominations for the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service 2015 are now being accepted: the closing date is September 30 (2014).
For more information visit www.gov.uk/queens-award-forvoluntary-service
