{"alias":"blogEntry","byline":"","standfirst":"We\u2019re delighted that two Scout Groups have received the prestigious King\u2019s Award for Voluntary Service: St George\u2019s Mill Hill Scouts in Blackburn, Lancashire, and 4th Crosby and District (St William of York) in Merseyside. ","content":{"layouts":[{"type":"singleColumn","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003EThe King\u2019s Award for Voluntary Service is the highest possible award for voluntary groups and is the equivalent of an MBE. This year, only 281 organisations received the award, including our two Scout Groups.\u0026nbsp;\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"","gtmClass":"","image":"/media/ktgdbr44/king-charles.jpg","width":800,"height":450,"altText":"King Charles III congratulating a Scout","caption":"King Charles III congratulating a Scout","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch3\u003ECelebrating 40 years of Scouts\u003C/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ESt George\u2019s Mill Hill Scouts\u2019 award coincides with the group\u2019s 40th anniversary. Formed in December 1984, today the group currently provides opportunities for more than 80 young people from the local area, supported by 19 adult volunteers.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIt also recognises the hard work and dedication of the group\u2019s volunteers at their \u003Ca rel=\u0022noopener\u0022 href=\u0022https://www.facebook.com/CanalsideBlackburn\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ECanalside Activity and Environment Centre - Blackburn\u003C/a\u003E. This provides activities such as kayaking, archery and backwoods skills to the whole community. In the last 12 months, over 6,000 people from across the local community have used the centre.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EStuart Parker is Group Lead Volunteer at St George\u2019s Mill Hill: \u2018I\u2019m absolutely delighted that our group\u2019s work has been recognised in this way - as volunteers, there\u2019s no higher honour than the King\u2019s Award for Voluntary Service. It\u2019s a real testament to the hard work and commitment of our team, who dedicate so much of their free time with energy and passion for improving the lives of young people.\u2019\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018I\u2019m a founder member of the group. I joined as a Venture Scout so it\u2019s a life\u2019s work for me. As it\u2019s our 40th anniversary, we\u2019re planning a whole year of celebrations, including a reception with the Lord Lieutenant in January. Our young people understand it\u2019s a very prestigious award.\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWhile not the biggest group, we\u2019ve done a lot of additional things. We\u2019ve spent 15 years fundraising for children in Romania and have arranged for lorryloads of supplies to be sent over. We\u2019re also very proud of our activity centre \u2013 which is spread across three acres. The area we\u2019re based in isn\u2019t well-off, and we were finding it too expensive to go elsewhere for activities. Our centre means we can now provide opportunities for our young people, other Scout Groups as well as the wider community.\u2019\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"","gtmClass":"","image":"/media/sgvo0lue/st-georges-mill-hill-st-william-of-york-scout-group.jpg","width":960,"height":540,"altText":"Group of volunteers posing for a photo","caption":"St George\u0027s Mill Hill Scout Group","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch3\u003EHelping other people\u003C/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ECatherine Ashcroft is the Group Lead Volunteer at 4th Crosby and District (St William of York). \u2018Scouting takes you on an incredible journey,\u2019 she says, \u2018where amazing adults dedicate their free time to create opportunities for young people to shine.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018It is an absolute privilege to lead this group of volunteers who have been awarded The King\u2019s Award for Voluntary Service. This award recognises the contribution of the leaders and adults working with their local community to provide a diverse range of opportunities for young people to develop skills for life while enjoying the adventures.\u2019\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIn the true spirit of Scouts, the two groups have sent each other messages of congratulations, and have agreed to meet in the not-too-distant future.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"","gtmClass":"","image":"/media/1zsmwrcx/4th-crosby-2.jpg","width":960,"height":540,"altText":"Scout group montage with different young people","caption":"4th Crosby and District","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch3\u003ECongratulations from the Chief Scout\u003C/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EChief Scout, Dwayne Fields sent his own well wishes too: \u2018Huge congratulations to both 4th Crosby and District and St George\u2019s Mill Hill Scouts on receiving the King\u2019s Award for Voluntary Service. This is recognition of the fantastic work you do supporting our young people. You\u2019re a credit to the whole Scout movement and we couldn\u2019t be more proud of you and all you\u2019ve achieved.\u2019\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch3\u003EMore about the award\u003C/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe King\u2019s Award for Voluntary Service aims to recognise outstanding work by local volunteer groups to support their communities. It was created in 2002 to celebrate Her Majesty The late Queen\u2019s Golden Jubilee and, was continued following the accession of His Majesty The King. 2024 marks the second year of The King\u2019s Award for Voluntary Service. Recipients are announced annually on 14 November, The King\u2019s Birthday.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca rel=\u0022noopener\u0022 href=\u0022https://kavs.dcms.gov.uk/make-a-nomination/about-nominating/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ENominations are now open\u003C/a\u003E for the King\u2019s Award for Voluntary Service 2025.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""}]}],"config":null}]},"searchDescription":null,"pageType":null,"location":null,"versionDate":"19 November 2024","reviewDate":null,"furtherReading":[{"caption":"","title":"Learn about awards and recognition at Scouts","url":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/volunteers/learning-development-and-awards/awards-and-recognition/","newWindow":false}],"relatedLinks":[{"caption":"","title":"Find out more about the King\u0027s Award for Voluntary Service","url":"https://kavs.dcms.gov.uk/","newWindow":false},{"caption":"","title":"Make a nomination for the next King\u0027s Award for Voluntary Service","url":"https://kavs.dcms.gov.uk/make-a-nomination/about-nominating/","newWindow":false}],"id":83451,"nodeName":"Scout Groups honoured with King\u2019s Award for Voluntary Service","title":"Scout Groups honoured with King\u2019s Award for Voluntary Service","type":"blogEntry","image":{"url":"/media/sgvo0lue/st-georges-mill-hill-st-william-of-york-scout-group.jpg?width=800\u0026height=450\u0026v=1db3a69b64f0290","caption":"St George\u0027s Mill Hill (St William Of York) Scout Group","type":"jpg","size":71642,"width":960,"height":540,"altText":""},"assets":null,"headerOptions":{"headerTitle":"Scout Groups honoured with King\u2019s Award for Voluntary Service","headerSubTitle":null,"headerCta":null,"headerCtaText":null,"headerCtaLink":null,"headerBackgroundColour":null,"showSEOImage":false,"headerBackgroundImage":null,"quickLinks":null},"subHeader":"We\u2019re delighted that two Scout Groups have received the prestigious King\u2019s Award for Volunteering.","browserTitle":"Scout Groups honoured with King\u2019s Award for Voluntary Service","silktide":"eyJjbXMiOiJVbWJyYWNvIiwiZWRpdG9yVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9wcm9kLWNtcy5zY291dHMub3JnLnVrLy91bWJyYWNvIy9jb250ZW50L2NvbnRlbnQvZWRpdC84MzQ1MSJ9","canonicalUrl":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/news/2024/november/scout-groups-honoured-with-king-s-award-for-voluntary-service/"}