A chance to say thank you and well done
Volunteers and staff from thirty-seven Essex-based voluntary groups joined county leaders at a reception on 12th June 2024, at Hatfield Place.
The evening was an opportunity to recognise and thank the groups, who have all been nominated for a King’s Award for Voluntary Service in the last two years.
The event was hosted by HM Lord-Lieutenant of Essex Mrs. Jennifer Tolhurst and Chair of Essex County Council Councillor Jill Reeves. It was supported by Essex County Council, Southend City Council, Thurrock Council, Essex Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, MITIE and Hatfield Place.
The reception brought the voluntary groups together with the Essex Lieutenancy, local authorities from across the county, as well as the Councils for Voluntary Services (CVSs), the Essex Chamber of Commerce and others closely connected to the voluntary sector. The Essex Lieutenancy wishes to encourage future nominations, to give everyone the opportunity to be awarded the highest form of recognition for their work in the UK.
Essex boasts the highest number of KAVS winners in 2023 and the second highest number of nominations in 2024, for any non-metropolitan county.
On hand to support HM Lord-Lieutenant of Essex at the reception evening were some of her Deputy Lieutenants, who helped to explain the various honours and awards available to individuals, voluntary groups and businesses.
In a speech, Mrs Jennifer Tolhurst, HM Lord-Lieutenant of Essex, said,
“The voluntary sector in Essex makes a huge contribution to the well-being and life of our great county. Excellent enterprises and businesses, create employment and provide outstanding goods and services to local and world-wide markets. Countless individuals give exceptional service in their work or volunteering, always going the extra mile for the benefit of others.
Part of my work as the Lord Lieutenant is to do the utmost to encourage nomination of such groups, enterprises, and individuals, to ensure they get the recognition they deserve. This reception is to ask those across the county to seek out outstanding voluntary groups, outstanding enterprises and outstanding individuals and take the trouble to nominate them for a National Honour or Award”.
The voluntary groups invited were all recipients of a nomination for a KAVS in either 2023 or 2024.
Of the 16 voluntary groups nominated for the 2023 award, 10 were granted the award.
For the 21 groups nominated for the 2024 awards, they must wait until 14th November for the official announcement of the winners – the date coincides with HM The King’s birthday.
Voluntary groups attending the reception:
KAVS 2023 winners
- African Families in the UK
https://www.afiuk.org/ - Colchester Foodbank
https://colchester.foodbank.org.uk/ - Enterprise East Group CIC
https://www.enterpriseeast.org/ - Mollards Lane Sensory Garden
- Parents 1st Essex
https://parents1st.org.uk/parents-1st-essex - Refugee, Asylum Seekers and Migration Action
https://rama.org.uk/ - Saffron Hall Trust
https://www.saffronhall.com/ - SANCTUS
https://sanctus-home.com/ - The One Love Project
https://theoneloveproject.co.uk/ - University of Essex Students’ UnionVTeam
https://www.essexstudent.com/volunteering/
KAVS 2023 nominees
- Bar ‘N’ Bus
https://barnbus.org.uk - Colchester Cancer Choir
https://colchestercancerchoir.wordpress.com/ - Essex Boys & Girls Clubs
https://www.essexboysandgirlsclubs.org/ - Open Door
https://opendoorservices.org/ - Riverview Charitable Trust
https://riverview.org.uk/ - Tendring Community Transport
https://dial-a-ride.org/
KAVS 2024 nominees
- 3Food4U
https://3food4u.org/ - Avenue Child Contact Centre
https://avenuechildcontactcentre.org.uk/
- Billericay & Basildon Street Pastors
- Cool to be Kind
https://www.c2bk.co.uk/ - Divine Assembly Ministries
https://divineassemblyministries.com/ - EPEC (Thurrock) Parent Group Leaders
- Essex Asian Women’s Association
http://eawasouthend.org/ - Festival Friends @ Colchester PHAB
https://www.phab.org.uk/clubs/ - PACE Manningtree
https://www.pacemanningtree.org.uk/
- MNDA Colchester & Northeast Essex Group
https://www.mndassociation.org/support-and-information/local-support/branches/colchester-and-north-east-essex-group - Off The Streets
https://www.offthestreetsessex.org.uk/ - Southchurch Hall Inspirational Parkers
https://www.southchurchhallgardens.co.uk/ - St Stephen’s Church Foodbank
- St. Vincent’s Southend-on-Sea
https://svp.org.uk/st-vincents-southend - The Dumont Luncheon Club
https://stosyth.gov.uk/dumont-luncheon-club/ - The London Bus Theatre Company
https://londonbustheatre.co.uk/
- The Music Man Project Ambassadors
https://themusicmanproject.com/essex/
- Trust Links
https://www.trustlinks.org/
- UTurn
https://uturn4support.co.uk/ - Waltham Abbey Youth 2000
- Welcome to the UK
https://www.welcome2theuk.com/
The King’s Award for Voluntary Service (KAVS) is awarded for outstanding achievement by groups which volunteer their own time to enhance and improve the quality of life and opportunity of others in the local communities.
It is the highest award given to volunteer groups across the UK.
Find out more about the KAVS >
The King’s Award for Enterprise is for outstanding achievement by UK businesses for:
– innovation
– international trade
– sustainable development
– promoting opportunity through social mobility
The Individual Honours system in the UK is designed to recognise people and who make a real difference to their community or in their field of work.
Find out more about Individual Honours >
