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Cabinet Office - Office for the Third Sector
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Press Release: 2 June 2003

QUEEN TO PRESENT FIRST GOLDEN JUBILEE AWARDS -

200 VOLUNTARY GROUPS HONOURED

Voluntary and community groups from throughout the UK will travel to Buckingham Palace today, to be presented with awards by Her Majesty the Queen and the His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh in recognition of their outstanding commitment and contribution to their local communities.

Two hundred groups are winners of a special Queen's Award for Voluntary Service for their voluntary work. They range from groups offering educational programmes to ethnic minorities, to one who has created and run a sensory garden for elderly and disabled people.

Representatives of fourteen of the winning groups - one from each part of the UK - will attend a presentation ceremony at Buckingham Palace today, the 50th anniversary of the Queen's Coronation.

Announcing the winners, Home Office Minister, Lord Filkin, said:

"This new, prestigious annual award gives well-deserved recognition to some of the unsung heroes of our communities - the hundreds of thousands of voluntary groups across the UK that play such an essential role in our daily lives.

"These groups reach out and touch the lives of others, often providing them with unconditional human contact that would otherwise be missing. We owe them an enormous debt and I am very pleased that their work is being recognised in this important way during Volunteers' Week.

"Community activity such as this is a vital resource - it develops the individual, boost local communities and enriches the nation. The Government is actively supporting the work of the voluntary sector and encouraging more people to participate in community activity.

"I hope local people will now think ahead to next year and give groups that are making a difference the recognition they deserve by nominating them for the 2004 Awards."

The Queen's Golden Jubilee Award recognises the achievement of groups who volunteer their own time to improve the quality of life and opportunities for others in their community.

Nomination forms for the 2004 Awards are available from today and must be returned by 15 September 2003.

Notes to editors:

  1. The Queen's Golden Jubilee Award for Voluntary Service by Groups in the Community was announced by Her Majesty The Queen on 30th April 2002. It recognises and rewards excellence in voluntary activities carried out by groups in the community. A short-list of 277 groups from 1400 nominations was announced in April 2003.

  2. Her Majesty the Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh will present awards to 14 groups, one selected by ballot from each government region and devolved administration, at Buckingham Palace on 2 June. Following the ceremony, Lord Filkin will host a reception for the 14 groups at Lancaster House. The other winning groups will receive their Awards from the Lord-Lieutenant for the county in which they operate, on behalf of The Queen, during June and July. Media are invited to the Lancaster House reception. For information, please call 020 7273 3774.

  3. A successful group will have demonstrated that it:

  • evolved locally and is locally run;

  • has a proven track record of active community involvement, normally over a period of three years or more;

  • is well designed to meet a particular need;

  • adds significant value by directly providing community-focused voluntary activities of a very high quality; and

  • generates a high level of local goodwill and respect.

  1. Applications for nominations were invited in the following categories:

Educational

Emergency response

Environment / regeneration

Health

Playscheme / youth group

Recreation / sports / arts

Self-help / support

Social / community

Social / preventative (eg crime prevention)

  1. Details of winning groups by region are available on request.

  2. Nomination forms for the 2004 Awards are now available. The closing date is 15 September 2003. Forms can be obtained by visiting www.goldenjubileeaward.gov.uk, emailing a request to gjaward@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk or calling 0845 000 2002.

  3. Almost 40 per cent of the population - 24 million people - volunteer time and energy to help others. The Government has set a target of increasing community participation by five per cent by 2006.