Dudley and Walsall volunteers acknowledged with prestigious royal honour
The groups have worked tirelessly to help their communities and have received the highest royal honour a voluntary group can receive
Voluntary groups working to help their communities across the Black Country have been honoured on the King’s Birthday with a royal honour.
The groups from Dudley and Walsall are among 16 volunteer groups from across the West Midlands to have become recipients of the prestigious King’s Award for Voluntary Service (KAVS).
The award is the highest honour given to local groups of volunteers who dedicate their time to improve the lives of others in their community; four groups from Walsall and seven from Dudley have been given the honour.
The Lord-Lieutenant for the West Midlands, Derrick Anderson CBE, said he believes this year’s winners reflect just how many people from the West Midlands care and support their community.
He said: “One of the most rewarding aspects of the Lieutenancy’s involvement with our community is seeing and hearing about the wonderful kindness and help so many give unreservedly to others.
“It is enormously pleasing when groups of volunteers are royally recognised and we are delighted to celebrate their achievements and thank them so much for all they do.”
The groups who have been awarded a KAVS in Walsall and Dudley are as follows:
Originally founded in 2011 to organise the local festival, Caldmore Village Festival now offers a multitude of community benefits that have cemented community cohesion.
There is a befriending service, community litter picking, men’s shed, community cinema and project theatre for all ages.
They also celebrate multicultural events, hold heritage walks, help startup businesses and provide practical support for young people, which includes educational activities for schools, after-school clubs, holiday play schemes, scouts and forest music education for early years.
The group also offers young people’s volunteering and training opportunities, work experience and run Youth Justice.
Perhaps its most-loved project is the community garden with accessible growing spaces, a sensory garden, playground, allotment plots, wildlife and butterfly area.
The 17 volunteers of the Walsall Black Sisters Collective offer culturally sensitive support and empowerment for black women and vulnerable people.
They help the elderly, refugees and asylum seekers, with support packages that help them lead safe and independent lives.
These packages are wide-ranging from emergency assistance for housing hardship, navigating council and emergency services through to confidence-building, employability support.
There are coffee mornings, creative arts and heritage projects and wellbeing sessions to foster a sense of belonging and inclusion.
LMRCA Railway Club (The Club) is a community hub organisation supporting vulnerable adults, children, disabled and homeless people through social and sports programmes.
The programme for young people covers excursions and trips, sports activities (mainly football), an allotment project, as well as extra-curricular education and life skills and advise on anti-social and criminal behaviour.
For pensioners and vulnerable adults, they offer a meeting venue with a soup and cobs kitchen, tinsel and turkey trips as well as advise on wellbeing, dementia and cognitive decline and how to counter social isolation.
The club hosts the Independent Saddlers Supporters Association through which young people access football coaching and a league competition.
Plasma of Hope supports individuals and families affected by sickle cell disease through awareness campaigns, advocacy and community wellbeing initiatives in Walsall.
Through access to public health videos, educational workshops and blood donation drives they hope to improve understanding of the disease, promote early diagnosis and build a stronger, healthier community.
The charity’s work is recognised as an exemplar nationally and internationally and its local experience has been sought to shape UK and European policy.
Brierley Hill Baby Bank offers family-centred support and essential goods to parents and carers for their children.
It also provides safe, quiet spaces, such as the Hub’s sensory room and soft play area, as well as a friendly shop with discounted clothes and toys.
The fathers, mothers and carers are often referred from a range of services, and the group has links with other local organisations so they in turn can refer people for mental health support.
What started with providing baby packs has grown to become a vital resource for families with young children, facing difficulties.
Over 15 years ago, the need for Diyya’s services was identified and the organisation was created to respond to the lack of affordable, family-centred activities locally and to help women connect, support their personal development and improve their leisure options.
The group recognised that ethic minority women faced cultural and racial barriers that resulted in isolation and economic exclusion.
The first initiative was The Saturday Club, but today their activities stretches to community events, gardening, IT classes, employment advice and skills workshops.
They advise on healthy eating and arrange work opportunities for young people and holiday clubs for children.
This group provides a “safe house” in five owned properties for vulnerable adults who may be homeless, escaping abuse, drug addiction or ex-offenders seeking a new beginning after serving in the armed forces.
As well as a home, they provide care with a 30-day plan of support that looks at all aspects of their lives and plots a practical pathway so they can leave behind their problems and move forward to a happier and more fulfilling life.
The volunteers often help with job applications, interview techniques, health and wellbeing, accessing local services and grants.
Across a year they can welcome 60 residents and help a further 100 non-residents.
Stourbridge Navigation Trust manages and safeguards the canal and listed buildings at the terminus of the Stourbridge Canal Trust Arms.
The trust has restored the canal and buildings for use by the community and encourages narrowboats into dock to moor.
The buildings are hired out for meetings, conferences special events and community activities.
It also runs boat rip excursions and an annual open weekend in October.
Team Pumpkin is a youth hub that gives hope to children and young adults in a deprived area, supporting their mental and physical wellbeing.
The volunteers provide a safe place where young people can build friendships, grow their personal skills, gain self-confidence and learn boxing.
They have introduced a Breakfast Club for school children during holidays, and they promote and healthy lifestyle.
Working with West Midlands Police, they teach the young people about the dangers of knife crime. The group has added a knife surrender bin to their premises as an important reminder that removing knives from the community can be easy and anonymous.
This small organisation makes a huge, positive impact, providing person-centred skills and employment opportunities for people with learning disabilities.
There is a structured programme of key projects including Spokes, that repairs and recycles bikes that go on sale at affordable prices, Twigs, that offers gardening, horticultural and parks maintenance services and Go Green, that involves the collection and recycling of aluminium cans and plastic bottles.
In addition, they run Create & Arts that provides therapeutic relief for participants and artwork for sale.
These activities help people to become comfortable in the atmosphere and disciplines of the work environment.
Wall Heath Tennis Club started over fifty years ago and is a welcoming, community-focussed club dedicated to providing and promoting racquet sports and healthy activities to all.
There is coaching, social play and competitive opportunities for all ages and social events that strengthen community ties.
The use of the club’s facilities is benefitting local schools, community and disabled groups and is seen as the centre of the area and much more than a tennis club.
It is a credit to the volunteers who continue to make the club sustainable and such an important part of the community.
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