More than 400 organisations in the running for royal volunteering award

26 May 2011 News

More than 400 UK volunteering organisations have been nominated for the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service this year.

More than 400 UK volunteering organisations have been nominated for the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service this year.

Winners will be announced on 2 June and will be invited to a celebratory garden party at Buckingham Palace or the Palace of Holyroodhouse in the summer.

Groups have been nominated by members of their local community for what is the highest national honour that can be bestowed on volunteer groups, recognising the contribution they make to society.

Those nominated are assessed by a local panel and then recommended to a national sub-committee to be assessed by experts for final recommendation to the Cabinet Office. A formal proposal of recipients is then sent to Buckingham Palace for approval by the Queen.

Martyn Lewis CBE, chairman of the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service Committee, said: “At a time when the work of the voluntary community has never been so important, the 413 groups nominated for this year’s Award demonstrate the exceptional and diverse contributions volunteers make to society.”

The award began in 2002 to mark the Queen’s Golden Jubilee and since then there have been more than 850 winners. Last year there were 341 nominees and 103 organisations received the award.