Lancaster and Morecambe volunteer groups collect their King’s Awards at special ceremony

Winter Gardens Preservation Trust chair Prof Vanessa Toulmin and volunteers receive their King's Award from the Lord-Lieutenant of Lancashire, Amanda Parker JP.

Representatives from Morecambe Winter Gardens, Neuro DropIn, Morecambe Girls' Football Club and Halton Gardening Group joined other winners of the Kings Award for Voluntary Service for 2023 from across the county at the event in Preston on Monday.

The King’s Award for Voluntary Service aims to recognise outstanding work by local volunteer groups to benefit their communities. This is the highest award a local voluntary group can receive in the UK and is equivalent to an MBE.

It was created in 2002 to celebrate the late Queen’s Golden Jubilee.

Neuro DropIn founder Sharon Jackson and volunteers receive their King's Award from the Lord-Lieutenant of Lancashire, Amanda Parker JP.

These were the first awards made by King Charles and the recipients will be announced each year on his official birthday, November 14.

Five Winter Gardens volunteers were drawn out of the hat to accompany chair Prof Vanessa Toulmin, who received the award from the Lord-Lieutenant of Lancashire Amanda Parker JP on behalf of the Winter Gardens Preservation Trust.

Two of the volunteers will also represent the trust at Buckingham Palace later this year after a second draw was made - Dawn and Audrey will be attending the King's Garden Party in recognition of the award.

A Winter Gardens spokesman said: "Thank you again to our amazing volunteers whose thousands of hours of dedicated love and service from cleaning to mopping to painting serving meeting and greeting running the tombola making teas, toasties and doing tours. The work is endless but the result are starting to show."

Members of Halton Gardening Club receive their King's Award from the Lord-Lieutenant of Lancashire, Amanda Parker JP.

Five representatives of Neuro DropIn also travelled to County Hall to collect their award.

Founder Sharon Jackson had the chance to say a few words in front of all the other voluntary groups, and thanked all volunteers past and present for their hard work, loyalty and dedication which without there would be no Neuro DropIn.

A spokesman said: "We wish ALL of our volunteers could have been there, because this award really is for you!"

Halton Gardening Group members are volunteer community gardeners who were given the award for “restoring village heritage and public garden areas, providing community development and integration.”

Meanwhile, Morecambe Girls’ Football Club said they were “absolutely delighted and over the moon” to be given the award.