Lord Lieutenant's call for Aylesbury's unsung volunteer heroes to step forward

Buckinghamshire's unsung volunteer heroes should not be bashful in coming forward for the chance to receive royal honour.

That's the message from Lord Lieutenant Sir Henry Aubrey-Fletcher, who is encouraging the hundreds of organisations across the county that do voluntary work to enter for the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service.

In the past two years 17 organisations from Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes have won royal accolades, and Sir Henry is keen to maintain - or even improve - this number.

Sir Henry, the Monarch's representative in the county, said:

"We have a great tradition of voluntary service in Buckinghamshire.

"I've met a huge number of committed volunteers without whom life in the county would be very much the poorer.

"This year, in particular, considering all the fantastic volunteer work that has helped our vulnerable residents through the coronavirus lockdown, it would be a great pity if the sterling efforts of these dedicated volunteers went un-recognised."

Sir Henry said the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service was a good opportunity for Her Majesty to recognise the outstanding work carried out by voluntary groups in their communities. The awards were created in 2002 to celebrate the Queen’s Golden Jubilee and winners are announced each year on 2 June, the anniversary of the Queen’s Coronation.

Nominations for the 2021 awards are currently open. Any group of two or more people who have participated in voluntary work for more than three years can be nominated for the award.

For more information on how to nominate visit: https://qavs.culture.gov.uk/ Nominations close on Friday 25 September 2020.