Glittering ceremony recognises voluntary groups from the West Midlands and Black Country who shine everyday
A group from Halesowen which has transformed the town into 'a welcoming and enjoyable place to be' were amongst the winners of the Kings Award for Voluntary Service (KAVS).
Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Nineteen community groups from across the West Midlands including Halesowen in Bloom attended the special celebration at the ICC in Birmingham on Sunday and collected their KAVS certificates from the Lord-Lieutenant for the West Midlands, Derrick Anderson CBE on Sunday.
A KAVS Honour is the only one given to groups of volunteers to recognise the significant contribution they make to their community and the 19 organisations heard of their award on 14 November last year when it was announced as part of The King’s Birthday Honours.
Amongst the organisations are four from Dudley, three from Sandwell , two covering the Black Country, three from Wolverhampton and four from Birmingham.
The full list of groups from the Express & Star circulation area who received the award is:
Dudley:
Access In Dudley: Access In Dudley helps people with disabilities to access buildings and services in the area.
The charity has been operating for 20 years and is run by volunteers with disabilities or experience with dealing with disabilities.
They have achieved greater accessibility with numerous initiatives from organising and designing gym equipment in parks, working with the council and Travel West Midlands to redesign ticket machines, interior design, signage and securing a specialist rowing boat at Dudley Rowing Club.
Friends of Saltwells Nature Reserve The volunteers or Friends of Saltwells Nature Reserve not only conserve a site of national environmental importance that people can enjoy in urban Dudley, they also provide inclusive community activities.
The 247-acre site in the heart of Dudley is fully open to the public and runs a range of engaging nature programmes and sustained conservation activities on site.
They have recently added a Ranger and education centre and its environmental and geologist expertise is shared and valued regionally and nationally.
WeLoveCarers Charity: As the name states, the organisation cares for carers and their families creating a culture across Dudley of love and understanding.
By providing a raft of family activities and clubs for those needing care, the group enables the carers to enjoy a little respite and feel they are part of a community that recognises them and their needs.
They use professional psychologists to support their work and have developed new ideas such as the Dudley Siblings and Young Carers group where young carers can voice their views through counselling
Halesowen in Bloom: Halesowen in Bloom is a vibrant community initiative that has transformed the town into a welcoming and enjoyable place to be. The town is full of beautiful floral arrangements with their logo stickers on pots, troughs and lamp posts.
There is an impressive array of blooms and 1,908 hectares of grounds managed by a team that create herbs, fruit and vegetable areas in addition to the many flowers.
The volunteers keep a keen eye on the environment, using upcycled containers for growing vegetables which the public can pick and eat.
There is a real sense of pride and achievement and a vast army of helpers, young and old, get involved.
Sandwell:
