Residents in Ashby and Leicestershire are being given the chance to recognise voluntary groups that have made a huge difference by nominating them for a prestigious Royal accolade.

The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service was created in 2002 during Queen Elizabeth's Golden Jubilee to honour local volunteer groups.

Following the accession of King Charles III, the award's name was changed to The King's Award for Voluntary Service.

Each year, approximately 250 exceptional local volunteer groups across the UK are recognised with this prestigious award. It holds the same value as an MBE and acknowledges the remarkable efforts of volunteer groups in their communities.

The Lord-Lieutenant of Leicestershire, Mike Kapur OBE, is now calling on the people of Leicester and Leicestershire to nominate worthy groups for the award, and highlight the life-changing work that they do.

He said: "The King's Award for Volunteering is the highest possible achievement that voluntary groups can achieve, and aims to shine a light on the fantastic work that these groups do.

"The award is held for life, and there are 28 groups in Leicester and Leicestershire who have been honoured in this way since 2002.

"The King's Award for Voluntary Service 2024 is now open for nominations, and I would like to encourage people in Leicestershire to put forward their own submissions for city and county groups who they feel deserve to receive this honour.

"The awards are an excellent way to reward those volunteers who work hard to support people throughout the city and county, and who make a real difference to our local communities."

To be eligible for the award, groups must be made up of three or more people and have been running for at least three years. Nominations need to be made by members of the public, and the nominator cannot be a volunteer, employee, or trustee of the organisation.

The closing date for nominations is 15 September 2023. Following this, the nominations go through a local and national assessment procedure, before Royal approval is sought in the summer of 2024. Winners will be announced on 14 November 2024, the King's birthday.

The groups who are selected for the King's Award for Voluntary service will receive an invitation for two representatives to attend a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace, permission to use the King's Award logo on their marketing materials, a certificate signed by the King and a crystal trophy.

Nominations can be made HERE.