Kirklees DofE Award Little Deer Wood receives the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service
Kirklees DofE Award at Little Deer Wood, a group of over 200 volunteers based in Kirklees have been honoured with the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, the highest award a voluntary group can receive in the UK.
What is Little Deer Wood?
Little Deer Wood provides a wide range of outdoor activities led by highly qualified and experienced instructors in beautiful woodland surroundings adjacent to the waterway in Mirfield. The centre is totally accessible with all proceeds raised helping to keep the DofE Award going in Kirklees. There are currently 6500 young people involved in the DofE locally which attracts participants of all ages, abilities and cultures. Kirklees DofE work with significant numbers of both hard to reach and young people with disabilities. The DofE Award is often the most positive thing that these young people will ever do and is often life changing.
Volunteers from Kirklees DofE attended a garden party at Buckingham Palace on 29th May, along with other recipients of this year’s Award
Kirklees DofE Award based at Little Deer Wood is one of 281 charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups to receive the prestigious award this year. The number of nominations and awards has increased year on year since the awards were introduced in 2002, showing that the voluntary sector is thriving and full of innovative ideas to make life better for those around them.
What is the Queen’s Award?
The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service aims to recognise outstanding work by volunteer groups to benefit their local communities. It was created in 2002 to celebrate the Queen’s Golden Jubilee. Winners are announced each year on 2 June – the anniversary of the Queen’s Coronation. Award winners this year are wonderfully diverse. They include volunteers helping people overcome mental health problems through sport, volunteers using caravans as mobile cafe/information centres in geographically remote locations and another group mentoring children who have a parent in prison.
Kirklees DofE Award manager Denise Bedford MBE says:
“How delighted we are that our group’s work with young people has been recognised in this way, I would like to pay tribute to the hard work, commitment and enthusiasm of all the volunteers who give so much time and energy. It doesn’t cost anything to inspire a young person and Kirklees DofE Volunteers do this on a daily basis. Thank you”