Queen's Award for Voluntary Service

Celebrating a prestigious awards in Volunteer’s Week

Swansea Community Farm is celebrating after receiving a prestigious award known as The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service. This is the highest award given to local volunteer groups across the UK to recognise outstanding work done in their own communities. It is the equivalent of an MBE for community groups and means that two Farm volunteers have been invited to a Garden Party at Buckingham Palace. With this also being Volunteer’s Week there is certainly a lot to celebrate at the Farm and for Swansea!

Volunteering at the Farm helps hundreds of people every year gain new skills, regain confidence and meet new people, giving them a boost to their wellbeing. The small city farm is home to rare breed farm animals and wildlife.

Two Farm volunteers are now off to meet the Royal Family and represent Swansea in London. One of those volunteers Marion said of the award ‘It’s a huge honour we got the award as it means that people are more likely to support us and understand the amazing work that goes on here. Although it’s only the lucky two of us (me and Peter) that get to go to the Palace it reflects everybody’s hard work. When I joined the Farm I had recently retired and volunteering kept me busy and feeling like I was still part of society. We are a really mixed bunch, lots of people have disabilities or depression but working at the Farm makes everyone feel better. It is really fun too, if we don’t have one good belly laugh a day whilst volunteering there’s something wrong’

Peter added ‘I was pleased when we found out we won because the volunteers have worked so hard and I wanted to go to the palace, my mum would have been really proud and I’ve been able to borrow a suit from Formal Hire Wales and now really feel the part- some of the volunteers even said I looked like James Bond!’

Speaking about the award, Swansea Community Farm’s Chairperson, Nerys Edmonds, added:

“The Farm believes in the value of volunteering and being a trustee for individuals and the community. It is great that the Queen’s Award are recognising the great work that is going on here at the Farm and in Swansea. We would all like to say a big thank you to the award panels and to all our volunteers” she added.

Volunteers also celebrated volunteers week by getting certificates of achievement.