Lord Lieutenant of Devon calls for nominations for outstanding volunteer groups

IF you have benefited from a voluntary group’s hard work in Sidmouth, or know about great work done by such a group, the Lord Lieutenant of Devon wants to know.

Eric Dancer CBE JP, today (Tuesday), called on those in Devon to nominate outstanding local voluntary groups for next year’s The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service.

Nominations for the 2011 award should be received by Thursday, September 30. Successful groups will be announced on June 2, 2011.

For more information or to download forms, visit www.direct.gov.uk/thequeensawardforvoluntaryservice or call (020) 7781 2397 for a hard copy.

Mr Dancer said: “Voluntary groups in Devon continue to play a pivotal role in the community and in the lives of many individuals.

“Recognising their contribution is vital and I want Devon to express their gratitude to these groups by nominating as many as possible for The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, the MBE for volunteer groups and highest honour in the voluntary sector.”

He said Devon’s volunteers carry out tremendous work across a number of areas, including youth projects, rural community based initiatives and those involving minority ethnic groups.

Since the award was created by the Queen to mark her Golden Jubilee in 2002, 850 groups have received it, including 10 groups from Devon.