West Sussex organisations received King’s Award for Voluntary Service

Amberley Museum exhibits the transport, industry, communications and crafts history of the South of England. The museum has a team of over 350 volunteers who restore, maintain, operate and demonstrate the exhibits to the public in order to bring the past to life for visitors of all ages.

Selsey Community Forum seeks to discern local need and, working in partnerships, seeks to meet that need. All ten services of the charity are accessed through Selsey Care Shop, a one-stop point on the High Street to help in time of need.

Friends of Shoreham Fort is a registered charity run entirely by a team of dedicated volunteers, who give their time and energy to the preservation of Shoreham Fort, a Scheduled Monument at the far end of Shoreham Beach. The Fort is a Victorian fortification, with a unique and diverse history which the Friends work tirelessly to promote and share with the wider community. The Friends are not only conserving and maintaining our physical heritage but, through their education and outreach programme, they are also ensuring the preservation of our local history, safeguarding it for future generations.

Revealing the wonders of the universe to inspire and educate all, the South Downs Planetarium and Science Centre in Chichester is run entirely by some 50 volunteers with a range of skills and professional experience and welcomes over 15,000 visitors including more than 9,000 schoolchildren and students each year. The volunteers are dedicated to stimulating and inspiring young people to explore and understand science in a unique and exciting way.

Representatives of each successful group will receive the award crystal and certificate from the Lord-Lieutenant, Lady Emma Barnard, next year. In addition two volunteers from each group will attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace.

The Lord-Lieutenant commented: “I’m absolutely delighted that these four exceptional organisations are amongst the very first in the United Kingdom to receive the awards in the name of King Charles III. My warmest congratulations go to them all! This is truly well deserved – all nominations are very rigorously assessed indeed and the awards are extremely hard to achieve. I’m looking forward very much to meeting them all and presenting the awards on behalf of His Majesty in the coming months.”

The King’s Award for Voluntary Service aims to recognise outstanding work by volunteer groups that benefit their local communities. It was created in 2002 to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee and, following his accession, His Majesty the King emphasised his desire to continue the award.

Some 262 charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups throughout the UK have received the award this year. The number of nominations remains high year on year, showing that the voluntary sector is thriving and full of innovative ideas to make life better for those around them. The winners are announced November 14 each year, the date of the King’s birthday.