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Press Release: 30th April 2002
The Queen announces
new Jubilee award for the community and voluntary sector.
Deserved and lasting
recognition for the ‘unsung heroes’ of our communities,
says Tessa Jowell.
The unsung heroes of our communities will receive
lasting recognition in a new award for voluntary service by groups
to mark The Queen’s Golden Jubilee, Culture Secretary Tessa
Jowell said today.
Welcoming the announcement made by The Queen
during her address to the Joint Houses of Parliament, Tessa Jowell
said:
"The Queen's Golden Jubilee Award will
bring deserved national recognition to the many thousands of ‘unsung
heroes’ who work tirelessly throughout the UK to help their
fellow citizens. The award is both an illustration of the importance
The Queen places on community and voluntary service by dedicated
and committed teams and groups, and an opportunity for everyone
to nominate and celebrate the invaluable contribution they make
to our communities.
"These awards represent a lasting legacy
of The Queen’s Golden Jubilee, continuing to honour community
and voluntary workers year after year. I urge people across the
UK to thank their ‘unsung heroes’ by nominating them for
the award."
Individuals can put forward groups or teams from
the voluntary and community sector for one of up to 200 annual awards
by completing a Nomination Form, available from The Queen's Golden Jubilee Award Office. Groups eligible for the award cover
the entire community and voluntary spectrum, from a team of volunteers
to the smallest group with a few individuals working together in
their local community. The closing date for this year’s nominations
will be 30th September 2002.
Home Secretary David Blunkett, who has responsibility
for Government policy on voluntary and community activities, said:
"Every day, in every area of the country,
groups are performing vital work in their communities. People working
together are transforming their neighbourhoods through their own
creativity and hard work.
This annual Queen’s Jubilee Award will provide
the recognition for those helping to make their neighbourhoods and
communities better places for us all."
The National Council for Voluntary Organisations
(NCVO) chief executive Stuart Etherington, said:
The National Council for Voluntary Organisations
(NCVO) is delighted that the Queen, in her Jubilee year, has decided
to establish an award for the outstanding work of a voluntary or
community organisation. This award will be a fitting way to recognise
the valuable contribution to our society provided by voluntary and
community organisations and the millions of volunteers who support
them.’
Alison West, Chief Executive of Community Development
Foundation, said:
'There are thousands of small community groups
all across the UK. They make a tremendous difference to neighbourhood
life, but they don't always get the recognition they deserve. These
awards will give them that, and I am sure that those people active
in the groups will be greatly encouraged to carry on their work.'
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