Prestigious Award to Recognise Voluntary Effort

On behalf of your County Lord Lieutenant and the NI Representative for the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service you are cordially invited to an information evening to hear how you can nominate, or be nominated, for a prestigious Award.

The Lord Lieutenant for your area, in conjunction with the Northern Ireland Representative of the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service and Volunteer Now, are working to increase nominations from N Ireland.

The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service is the highest civil Award given to local volunteer groups across the UK to recognise outstanding work done in their own communities. It is the MBE for volunteer groups. Any group doing volunteer work that provides a social, economic or environmental service to the local community can be nominated for the Award.

Groups cannot nominate themselves for the Award – someone not directly involved in the group needs to do that. It could be someone who has benefited from the group, a funder, a local community leader or statutory representative. However the process is easy!

A series of short information sessions, to promote the Award, and explain the nomination process, are being organised (funded through DSD Innovations Fund). They are aimed at potential nominators and interested groups. It will be an opportunity to meet those involved in promoting the Award and hear from someone who has been through the process.

Choose an event from the list below (all events are from 6.30 - 8pm, refreshments provided) and register your interest with Julie-Ann Ashe in Volunteer Now on Tel 028 90818316 or [email protected]  by 19th February. Note that the event in County Fermanagh is being organised separately.

LOCATION

Bann View Committee Room, Coleraine Borough Council, 66 Portstewart Road, COLERAINE, BT52 1EY  -  26 February 2014;

Youth Action NI, 14 College Square North, BELFAST, BT1 6AS  -  5 March 2014;

Down Museum, The Mall, DOWNPATRICK, BT30 6AH  -  6 March 2014;

Central Library, 35 Foyle Street, L'DERRY, BT48 6AL  -  13 March 2014;

The Studio Theatre, The Braid Ballymena Town Hall, Museum & Arts Centre, 1-29 Bridge Street, BALLYMENA, BT43 5EJ  -  19 March 2014;

Cookstown Library, 13 Burns Road, COOKSTOWN, BT80 8DL  -  27 March 2014;

The Navan Centre, 81 Killylea Road, ARMAGH, BT60 4LD  -  9 April 2014.

Please pass this onto anyone who might be interested in hearing more about how volunteers can get recognition.  If you have a newsletter or email that goes out to your networks or other organisations, please include this in it to help spread the word. 

Volunteering is at the heart of our communities; why not raise its profile and achieve recognition for the difference that volunteers make. Nominations are open for the Award at any time, there is no deadline, however, Awards are published in June each year. Please come and hear how we can increase the range of Awardees from N Ireland.

Download the flyer for more information.