Three Somerset charities are celebrating after winning the coveted King’s Award for Voluntary Service (KAVS).
Equivalent to an MBE for individuals, KAVS is the highest award given annually to voluntary groups in the UK, celebrating outstanding work done by charities.
Only about a third of groups nominated nationally receive an award but in Somerset, for the second year running, all three charities nominated were successful.
Deputy Lieutenant Jane Sedgman, who oversees the nomination process in Somerset on behalf of the Lord-Lieutenant, said:
This has been another outstanding year for our Somerset nominees. To get a clean sweep two years in a row is a remarkable achievement.
The King’s Award for Voluntary Service is prestigious and an encouragement for those who give so generously of their time and expertise. It can open the doors to funding streams which might otherwise prove very hard to access, so there are practical benefits in addition to the emotional rewards.”
This year’s local recipients are:
ARK at Egwood – an intergenerational, therapeutic land-based day provision, supporting people of all ages and varying needs to improve their confidence, self-esteem and wellbeing.
ARK provides a safe outdoor space for people to connect with themselves and others, using animals, nature, horticulture, rural arts and crafts, cooking and more.
It supports all ages and all needs in the same environment and is run by a dedicated team of volunteers, many of whom started by using the services they now help to provide.
Each day on average, ARK has 30 people attending. It also provides one off activity days, group visits and courses/workshops in partnership with Somerset Skills and Learning and other partners.
Training is offered in skills which benefit both ARK and the individuals, helping them into employment and with better life style management.
Exmoor Young Voices engages with young adults in the community, offering support with job opportunities, housing and other issues to help them stay working and living on Exmoor.
The majority of these young adults, aged 18-35, are still living at home although EYV is steadily improving the conditions for a number of them to be independent and is also gradually improving the prospects of owning their own sustainable homes through self-build initiatives.
EYV is a self-organising and self-directing all-volunteer group of empowered young adults, bringing their own persuasive, practical and innovative solutions to a raft of 59 authority policy makers and budget holders that prioritise housing, digital inclusion, rents, earnings, travel, and transport, to sustain a balanced population on Exmoor.
EYV strives for positive action that prioritises young people’s needs. Their golden goal is to prevent young people from needing to leave Exmoor to start a life elsewhere.
Somer Valley FM is an Ofcom licensed community radio station in Midsomer Norton and Radstock, broadcasting local content including news, entertainment, music, heritage, and sports.
SVFM develops creativity and talent in broadcasting with around 70 individuals at any one time, who live and work in the community. These volunteers make regular commitments as presenters, producers, or in SVFM’s administration or training initiatives.
A key characteristic of SVFM is the encouragement offered to all. In the last 15 years no person seeking training and inclusion has been turned away.
Organisations wanting to be considered for next year’s KAVS can get all the information they need here: kavs.dcms.gov.uk/
