King’s Award for Voluntary Service

Volunteering

Do You Represent Excellence in Volunteering?

If you would like to find out if your organisation or group may qualify for a King’s Award for Voluntary Service then the Kent Lieutenancy is here to help you in the process.

We won’t tell you what to do but we can guide and support you.

The King’s Award For Voluntary Service

Benefits and Eligibility

What can a King’s Award for Voluntary Service bring to your voluntary group, charity or community interest?

  • The KAVS is the MBE for voluntary service and brings recognition at the highest level.
  • It will focus attention of funders on your organisation.
  • If you win The King’s Award, you will represent excellence in your field.
  • It will be a huge thankyou to your volunteers and your group will be an inspiration to others in your community.

 

Eligibility Checklist

  • Is your organisation or group doing volunteering work?
  • Are at least half of your group unpaid volunteers?
  • Have you been operating to a high standard for at least three years?
  • Does your work excel in meeting a community need?
  • Is your work respected, supported and recognised by your community and the people who benefit from it?

 

Beth from Square Pegs Drama Group, winner in 2017 of the QAVS said, ‘We are absolutely thrilled to receive this award and recognition for the important work we do. This award has made us feel really proud of what we have achieved to date, and we look forward to continuing to grow and develop in the future.’

KCC Chairman (2017-2018) David Brazier says, ‘Daily life in the UK could not be sustained without volunteers. The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service benefits any organisation that receives it because the honour is shared amongst all within it. The recognition and esteem of the award can commend the organisation to those with funds to grant. I would encourage anybody who is aware of selfless work on behalf others to consider nominating the group concerned for the QAVS.’

David McKee, Chairman of QAVS winner, Wealden Sailability says, ‘We are delighted to be recipients of the QAVS. It is a recognition for all our volunteers and also acts like a stamp of approval that we have been inspected and found to be worthy of the honour. As a result we find that organisations and individuals come to us with greater confidence in all that we do.’

Stephen Gray, CEO of QAVS winner, Young Lives Foundation Appropriate Adults Service says, ‘We are delighted that we have been recognised with this prestigious award. We can say with some confidence that our appropriate adults are some of the most dedicated volunteers in the country and this award is a great way of recognising that and saying thank you for all that they do’

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Still Interested?

We Hope So!

In Kent, The King’s Award for Voluntary Service is led by Mr Paul Auston DL and he is assisted by Jenny Ongley in the Kent Lieutenancy Office.

Contact us here at the Kent Lieutenancy to talk about your potential nomination and we will be happy to assist.

kavs@kent.gov.uk

03000 416531

Current Award Holders

2023 Winners

The groups in Kent awarded The King’s Award for Voluntary Service in 2023 are Academy FM Thanet, Child’s Vision, SATEDA, and Sittingbourne Community Radio.

 

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Academy FM Thanet

Academy FM Thanet is an OFCOM registered community radio station for Thanet providing support to the community. The group runs the only OFCOM registered community radio station in Thanet and has become a hub for social contact in the locality, not only for the students of the Royal Harbour Academy where it is situated, but the whole of the community of Thanet. It also provides a source of referral and promotion for local small businesses through its Academy FM Business Hub and serves 160 businesses that are now part of the station’s Business Watch group.

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Child’s Vision

Child’s Vision is a charity supporting children through domestic abuse. The charity sends trained volunteers into schools to work one-to-one with children who have experienced domestic abuse. They also offer online groups exploring the impact of domestic abuse as an adjunct to a national programme which supports the adult victims. Their aims are simple; to provide reassurance, support, and a listening ear, to reassure children that it is okay to be upset by things that are not normal, and not right, and they are not alone. It has published practitioners’ books to support others in this work, and offers CPD training for professionals. They take referrals from GPs, schools, social services, refuges or direct from families. Their work creates a community of support, often engaging previous clients in fundraising and other activities.

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SATEDA

SATEDA supports domestic abuse victims to be safe, regain control, find their voice, and live without fear. SATEDA provides its service users with a coherent recovery journey from abuse: from crisis, to safeguarding, recovery, re-building, and returning to employment and active life. They are a pioneer in creating a “woman centred” approach to their service, where all their interventions are joined up, and continuing support is offered in different forms for as long as it is wanted and needed.

Sheppey Sea Cadets logo
Sittingbourne Community Radio

Sittingbourne Community Radio provides light entertainment to the local community, alongside information dissemination and event promotion. Listeners are briefed on local democracy and there are regular reports on local news and information. Another emphasis is in promoting the historic roots of the town via reports on local history and attendance at local events.

Historical Winners

Previous Award Winners

2022 Winners
2021 Winners
2020 Winners
2019 Winners
2017 Winners
2016 Winners
2015 Winners
2013 Winners
  • Cobbes Meadow Group Riding for the Disabled Association – Chartham
  • Kent Archaeological Rescue Unit – Dover
  • The Pickering Cancer Drop-in Centre – Tunbridge Wells
2012 Winners
  • Chatham Dockyard Historical Society– Chatham
  • Citizens’ Rights for Older People – Maidstone and Canterbury Offices
  • Demelza Kent Childrens’ Hospice -Sittingbourne