Yorkshire champions recognised with King's Award for Voluntary Service
Volunteers across Yorkshire are among those to be recognised by the King for their tireless dedication to duty and in upholding the greatest tradition of British history.
The King’s Award for Voluntary Service, the highest accolade for groups, is ranked in prestige only to the MBE and goes to those who deliver well above and beyond.
The award is a secret, known only to recipients, and a good number of charities across the region have been holding tight to the recognition before it is revealed today.
Now they have spoken of the joy it brings, and the satisfaction wrought from volunteering.
Among those honoured are the Huddersfield Choral Society (HCS), and the Victoria Cross Trust (VCT), a Doncaster-based group which cares for veterans’ memorials.
Keith Lumley, chair of trustees at the VCT, said “I am absolutely delighted and honoured that the hard work of our team of volunteers has been recognised in this way.”
And the choir’s chair, Jane Sargent, said: “Our wonderful volunteers are custodians of a vital part of the UK’s musical heritage for the next generation and go above and beyond every year to ensure they always achieve excellence. I can’t thank them enough.’’
The Royal award aims to recognise the outstanding work by local volunteers, with dozens across Yorkshire to share their news today.
Those honoured are presented with the award crystal and certificates by the King’s representative for each county, the Lord Lieutenants, before a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace.
Huddersfield Choral Society is made up of 140 unpaid singers who perform and record.
The group is so well known that a British historical drama called The Choral, written by legendary playwright Alan Bennett and starring Ralph Fiennes and Alun Armstrong, is widely believed to have been based on its efforts under the First World War.
Now its history stretches back 190 years, with its longest serving member singing for some 60 years. The time put into rehearsals, performances and recordings for the main choir can add up to around 12,000 hours each year.
General secretary Sir John Harman said it preserves the town’s musical culture, inspiring the next generation. He said: “Without the dedicated work of the choir’s voluntary committee, the town’s musical heritage and fine reputation as one of the UK’s outstanding choral choirs would be lost forever.”
And in Huddersfield, where the VCT is based, volunteers restore and maintain the graves and memorials of VC recipients, the highest award for valour. Volunteers also visit local schools and groups to give presentations on the history behind the VC.
Mr Lumley said: “The restoration work can be tough, but it is so rewarding to see the finished product and especially where families see the before and aftermath of our work. Visiting schools and sharing the history also gives us immense pleasure and it is all down to the commitment and dedication of our team”