THE Blackdown Support Group has been awarded The King’s Award for Voluntary Service for 2024.

A community self-help group led by a band volunteers in the Blackdown Hills, on the Devon and Somerset border, has received the accolade which is the equivalent of an MBE which is given to individuals.

The King’s Award for Voluntary Service is the highest award a local voluntary group can receive in the UK and recognises their contributions to the communities they serve.

The BSG is one of 281 local charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups to receive the prestigious award this year.

For more than 30 years. the BSG has enabled people resident in the Blackdown Hills to get around more easily, to meet and make friends and when they face life challenges, to feel that they are not alone.

The 70-plus dedicated volunteers are managed by a small and talented office team which facilitates the service and connects service users with volunteers.

The King’s Award for Voluntary Service aims to recognise outstanding work and was created in 2002 to celebrate Her Majesty The late Queen’s Golden Jubilee and was continued following the accession of His Majesty The King.

Recipients of the King’s Award are announced annually on November 14 - King Charles’ birthday.

Award winners this year are diverse and include volunteer groups from across the UK, such as a mental health and wellbeing support network for veterans and their families in Yorkshire; a group preserving a historic 12th century castle in south Wales; six volunteers providing English lessons for refugees in Stirling and an organisation providing opportunities to engage in the arts for people with learning disabilities in County Fermanagh.

Representatives of The Blackdown Support Group will receive the award crystal and certificate from David Fursdon, the Lord-Lieutenant of Devon early next year. In addition, two volunteers from the BSG will attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace in May or June 2025, along with other recipients of this year’s Award.

Chair of the BSG Gillian Girling said: “I am thrilled and delighted that the work of the wonderful volunteers in the BSG has been recognised with this prestigious award. Our brilliant office staff work hard in ensuring the voluntary service runs smoothly allowing people in our rural community of the Blackdown hills to feel connected and supported.

“It is our fantastic volunteers who make the BSG the loved and respected charity it is today, whether it’s driving people to hospital appointments, helping out at lunch clubs and coffee mornings, peer support groups or toenail cutting. Speaking as both a volunteer and a trustee, and a resident of the Blackdown Hills, I know that the whole community will be excited that the BSG has been recognised with the King’s Award for Voluntary Service.

“We all thank the committed volunteers, who cheerfully give their time to help our community enabling people to live well and independently in their own homes for as long as possible. Thank you all.”