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With the accolade renamed in light of His Majesty's ascension to the throne, a call has gone out to the public to nominate local charities for the first King's Award for Voluntary Service.
It was previously called the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service having first been awarded by Queen Elizabeth II in 2003.
Since then, 30 Bailiwick charities have received the accolade.
The award itself is equivalent to the MBE and is the highest national recognition for voluntary organisations.
Pictured: The award was previously named the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service, having been launched during the reign of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Guernsey's Lieutenant-Governor is encouraging nominations of local organisations to ensure they can be considered for the next round of awards.
Any successful nominees will be among the first to receive the award during the reign of His Majesty King Charles III.
"The King’s Awards for Voluntary Service is the highest award for volunteer-led organisations, which not only rewards excellence but also fosters the very best working practices throughout the third sector," said Lieutenant General Richard Cripwell.
"It represents the gold standard of volunteering and any group that receives it can be very proud indeed."
His Excellency paid tribute to Bailiwick charities, saying so many are worthy nominees.
"The local voluntary sector touches the lives of so many, both within our islands and beyond. It’s built on a spirit of volunteering that is central to our communities and delivers so many valuable services. This is an opportunity to recognise those groups that are not only fulfilling that role, but also meeting the very highest standards."
It is 10 years since nominations for the Award have been made directly by members of the public - and any group of three or more people doing volunteering work can be nominated for the King’s Award for Voluntary Service.
The group must be led by volunteers, rather than paid staff, and provide a specific and direct benefit to its local community. It should have been running for at least three years, with more than half of the people involved having the right to live in the UK or one of the Crown Dependencies.
For full details on The King’s Award for Voluntary Service and to nominate a group, visit gov.uk/kings-award-for-voluntary-service and follow the links.
Nominations for the 2025 Awards must be submitted by 1 December 2024. The Awards are announced annually on The King’s Birthday, 14 November.
Previous recipients of the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service include Guernsey Welfare Service and the WRVS Alderney who received their awards in 2002/3.
The Guernsey Society for the Physically Disabled (Ron Short Centre) was awarded in 2003/4 with Channel Islands Air Search and Guernsey Women's Refuge receiving their accolades in 2004/5.
Awards followed for charities offering a variety of services to the Bailiwick including the Guernsey Specials Gym Club, The Health Information Exchange, Guernsey Bereavement Service, Caritas, MUG, the Scouts, and the RNLI.
The full list of past recipients is available HERE.
Pictured top: Philippa Stahelin receiving The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service from the Lieutenant-Governor in 2019 on behalf of Headway Guernsey.
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