The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service has been awarded to not one, but two local organisation in Ballymena. Congratulations to both the Doury Road Development Group and Ballymena Festival of Music, Speech and Dance.
The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service is the highest award given to local volunteer groups across the UK to recognise outstanding work done in their own communities. It was created in 2002 to celebrate the anniversary of The Queen’s coronation. It is the MBE for volunteer groups. (Source)
The Doury Road Development Group was established in 2010 and has been working hard to help, support & improve the quality of life for all the residents in that area.
The Work of Doury Road Development Group
Doury Road Development Group was established in 2010 and have been working hard to help, support & improve the quality of life for all our residents. Through funding from different agencies we hope to offer lots of exciting programmes that will benefit everyone in the estate.
We have enhanced the entrance features and put in place environmental improvements that will help to enhance the image of the estate. This includes providing a community garden, a more useable outdoor space at Waveney Youth Centre for all residents and enhancing the fencing between top & bottom of the estate.(Source)
Prizes awarded at the Ballymena Festival of Music, Speech and Dance
The Ballymena Festival of Music, Speech and Dance has been running for 100 years and is a fixture in the local calendar here in Ballymena. Rachel from the Ballymena Today Youth Team wrote about her experience at the Ballymena Festival this year here.
The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service Committee Chair, former broadcast journalist Sir Martyn Lewis said:
I warmly congratulate all of the inspirational voluntary groups who have been rewarded for their community work with a Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service. The judging panel for this year’s awards were struck by the quality and breadth of all the successful groups.
The thousands of volunteers who give up spare time to help others in their community and to help solve problems demonstrate the very best of democracy in action.
Many congratulation to these two deserving organisation who have been awarded the prestigious Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service.
