King’s Award recognises voluntary services

Some 262 charities and voluntary organisations – including several supporting disadvantaged children and young people across the UK – have been awarded the King’s Award for Voluntary Service for their outstanding work.

The awards take place annually and 2023 marked the first year they are in the name of King Charles III. Members from recognised organisations will be invited to a garden party at Buckingham Palace in the summer.

CYP Now takes a closer look at some of the award’s recipients:

Potential Kids

Potential Kids was founded by Angela Gaughan, mother to an autistic son, in 2018. Based in Welwyn and Hatfield, the project provides opportunities and education to neurodivergent children and has flourished with support from volunteers and other local organisations.

Gaughan created Potential Kids after searching for accessible activities for her own son. Children can access a range of academic help as well as youth groups, sport, therapeutic interventions, and horse riding, with there also being social events for parents and carers.

Sessions run by the organisation are held in small numbers to reduce anxiety and create a safe space for children, with support aimed at being for whole families rather than individual children.

Experienced safeguarding professionals, therapists, coaches and volunteers run the sessions, including Susanna Mateu, who says: “I have been part of Potential Kids since day one. We advocate for inclusion, diversity and change. We are also heavily involved with our local community and the most vulnerable – it is a wonderful small charity doing huge things for others.”

Action Tutoring

Action Tutoring has delivered academic support to disadvantaged young people via a team of volunteers since 2011. In the 2022/23 academic year, it helped 5,743 primary and secondary school pupils with maths and English across 146 schools. Collectively, volunteers – who range in age from 18 to 82 – delivered 35,600 sessions with 71 per cent of pupils worked with receiving pupil premium funding.

Action Tutoring aims to identify children at risk of failing at school or not achieving academically, and pairs them with volunteers who provide support for one hour a week. Volunteers help young people in need while tackling the attainment gap.

The charity is also a tuition partner for the National Tutoring Programme, which launched in 2020 to support pupils who suffered from educational disruption during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Susannah Hardyman, founder and chief executive of Action Tutoring, praised the work of volunteers. “We could not do what we do without them,” she says. “They are making an impact within their communities and not only helping disadvantaged pupils in academic progress but also fostering their sense of confidence and increasing their life’s chances.”

Wigan Youth Zone

Wigan Youth Zone provides activities and emotional support to young people across Wigan. Founded in June 2013, it runs out of a purpose-built youth facility in the North West town and was funded by three Wigan businessmen and charity OnSide.

Anthony Ashworth-Steen, chief executive of Wigan Youth Zone, says: “This is a great honour for Wigan Youth Zone. One of our charity’s best-kept secrets is that we are volunteer-led and are reliant on significant voluntary support to run our critical services for young people – about half of our team members are volunteers at any one time.

“It is no exaggeration to say that without our dedicated volunteers and wider team, we would not be able to accomplish the life-changing services we run day in, day out. This award is for them, our supporters, our young people, and our entire community – together, we are making proactive investment in the future of our next generation, and, by doing so, we are making a positive difference to thousands of lives.”

Ruff & Ruby Urban Youth Charity

Located at The Potteries Centre in Stoke on Trent, Ruff and Ruby Urban Youth Charity offers purpose-driven services based around using volunteering and employability opportunities to promote positive self-worth and aspirations in young people.

Supporting young people aged 11 and older, services on offer include topic-based roadshows and workshops, bedroom makeovers for young people living in severe poverty, music and creative arts, lived experience programmes, one-to-one mentoring and life coaching.

The charity is also part of the Stoke on Trent Youth Collective, which aims for a joined-up approach between more than 72 youth organisations to deliver authentic leadership.

Dawn Reynolds, founder and chief executive, created the charity after herself experiencing poverty, bullying, relational abuse, mental health issues and eating disorders when growing up. Working in the youth sector for many years and across a range of roles and countries, Reynolds returned to Stoke on Trent and founded the charity.

Ourside Youth Association

Evesham-based Ourside Youth Association supports young people in the local community and was founded in 2004 by a group of young people who felt they had nowhere to go themselves.

The service provides support for 11- to 19-year-olds in a safe and welcoming setting, where there are people in the youth-led environment who empathise with them. The service is driven by a youth committee who make decisions on provision.

As well as art, sport, music and cooking activities, Ourside provides teenagers and young adults with mental health support, information on substance misuse, career advice and free nutritious meals. It is the only dedicated youth centre in the area, with youth workers seeing around 100 young people every week.

Carly Elwell, founding member and chair, says: “Receiving this award means so much to us in recognising the passion and dedication of everyone who makes Ourside so special and makes a difference to so many young people’s lives.”

At a glance: King's Award for Voluntary Service

• The award was created in 2002 to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee, previously known as the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service.

• It is equivalent to an MBE and is the highest award given to voluntary groups, which is awarded for life.

• Nominations are made online by people not involved with the groups. An appraisal is then led by the local Lord Lieutenant in the county in which the group works.

• A national committee assess nominees and draw up a shortlist with this presented to King Charles to decide on winners.

• In 2023, 227 organisations from England, 20 from Scotland, six from Wales and nine from Northern Ireland received the award.