Surprised and proud is how the leader of Keswick Mountain Rescue Team says his colleagues feel after sharing a Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service.
The prized accolade went to Lake District Search and Mountain Rescue Association, which consists of 12 organisations; Langdale/Ambleside, Wasdale, Patterdale, Cockermouth, Penrith, Coniston, Duddon and Furness, Kendal, Kirkby Stephen and Keswick MRTs, as well as Lake District Mountain Rescue Search Dogs and Cumbria Ore Mines Rescue Unit.
It is the highest award a voluntary group can receive in the UK – widely regarded as the MBE for volunteer groups. There were 230 awarded nationally this year.
“We are delighted to have been awarded such a prestigious award, along with our colleagues across all of the Lake District Rescue Teams,” said Chris Higgins, Keswick MRT leader. “The award recognises the enormous commitment of all the team members past and present and we are very proud to have been recognised in this way.
“No one joins a volunteer organisation such as mountain rescue with the desire to be recognised in such a way. It was completely unforeseen and came as a very pleasant surprise. We would like to thank everyone involved in nominating LDSAMRA and its member teams and also to thank the communities we live and work amongst for their ongoing support,” he added.
All Cumbria’s rescue teams consist entirely of volunteers who respond 24 hours a day 365 days a year, frequently operating in dangerous conditions to rescue those at risk in the county’s mountains, lakes and mines. They are also in one of the busiest mountain rescue regions in the country because of the large number of visitors that come to the Lake District.
Besides the Lakeland rescue association, two other voluntary groups in Cumbria received the award announced today (Tuesday 2nd June). They were Barrow Women’s Community Matters, which supports vulnerable women and children, and The REACT Foundation, a West Coast educational group. All will receive a certificate signed by the queen and a domed glass crystal, which will be presented by the Lord-Lieutenant of Cumbria Mrs Claire Hensman. Two volunteers from each organisation will also receive an invitation to attend a royal garden party at Buckingham Palace in May 2021.
Mrs Hensman said: “I am thrilled that some of our organisations in Cumbria have achieved national recognition. I would like to thank our winning organisations for their tireless work and commitment to the communities they serve. They are all thoroughly deserving of this award. Volunteers are the glue that hold our communities together.”
The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service recognises and rewards the most exceptional and innovative groups who provide voluntary-led activities carried out by local groups in the community. The award was announced in 2002 as part of the celebrations for The Queen’s Golden Jubilee and was first known as The Queen’s Golden Jubilee Award.
Any group of two or more people doing outstanding volunteering work can be nominated for the award. The group must be volunteer led and the majority of the group must be volunteers. The groups should also have been running for three years or more. To be nominated they should do work that provides a service and meets a need for people living in the local community; is supported, recognised and respected by the local community and the people who benefit from it; and be run locally.
“There are many more voluntary groups across Cumbria doing excellent, innovative work, enhancing the lives and experiences of many people in their local communities. Many have stepped up to the current Covid-19 challenge in very difficult circumstances and they have all our admiration and gratitude. I hope that this will prompt more nominations for the next year’s round of awards by midnight September 25 2020 for them to be considered for the 2021 Queens Award for Voluntary Service,” Mrs Hensman added.
