On 9th December 2022, we were honored to receive the Queen's Award for Volunteering.

Many of us had a tear in the eye when we finally received our Queen's Award and a beautiful certificate signed by Her Majesty the Queen.  Clare, Countess of Euston, our Lord-Lieutenant gave a very moving address, reminding us of the amazing service of our late Queen Elizabeth, but also explaining that this is a very personal Award and the Queen would have taken time to find out about the work of our fantastic volunteers.

This award recognizes the amazing contribution our volunteers have made to the community.

It was wonderful to see so many of our volunteers, old and new at our celebration.  As well as trustees, service users and representatives from other local groups and organizations.

Thank you to Reverend Dominic Doble and St Mary's Church for hosting such a lovely event.

Halesworth Volunteers has been awarded the Queens Award for Voluntary Service 2022. This is the highest award a voluntary group can receive in the UK.

The Queens Award for Volunteering does not just recognise Halesworth Volunteers and the community's extraordinary response to the pandemic but the work that's been done by Halesworth Volunteers for nearly 40 years reaching out to vulnerable people, making their lives better.

Karen Austin, Chair of Halesworth Volunteers said 'We cannot describe how honoured we are by this Award, and in the Jubilee year too. It is fantastic to have the national recognition that this award brings. It is testament to our fantastic volunteers and staff and the way that all the local groups in Halesworth and beyond worked together during the Covid 19 pandemic. Groups like HACT and the Pear Tree Centre and our Town and Parish Councils and Churches have shown how much we can achieve when we work together.'

Emma Healey, Director of Haleworth Volunteers said 'This amazing award recognises our much-loved Community Car Service that has operated for nearly 40 years getting people who cannot travel independently to their important social and medical appointments. It also recognises the work we do
supporting isolated and lonely people through our Isolation Busters Programme. New projects like the Halesworth Community Larder that developed during the Pandemic show how we can meet new challenges and reach out to people who have not used our services before. Everything we do is powered by the dedication and commitment of our volunteers. This is very much their award. Together we really can make lives better.'