The Lowry’s 300-strong team of volunteers have been awarded the 2015 ‘Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service’.
The title is the highest award given to volunteer groups across the UK – recognising outstanding work in local communities.
The Lowry’s volunteers are a familiar sight to its visitors. They assist the venue’s ‘front of house’ operation as ushers, selling programmes and merchandise and helping to ensure health and safety across the three auditoria.
The scheme is incredibly popular, with hundreds of applications to join received each year. In line with The Lowry’s community and engagement objectives, priority is given to applicants from Salford and/or those aged between 18 and 25.
Today’s announcement in The Gazette follows a local assessment and nomination to the National Award Committee (NAC), which considered the benefit nominations have brought to their local community and its standing within that community. The NAC then made a recommendation to the Cabinet Office, which in turn sent a final list to The Queen for approval.
Julia Fawcett OBE, chief executive of The Lowry, said: “Our volunteers are an integral part of our operation and we are thrilled they have been recognised with this national award. They are one of the reasons The Lowy is so rooted in the local community – and we couldn’t ask for a better welcome for our visitors.”
The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service Committee Chair, former broadcast journalist Martyn Lewis CBE 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 best of democracy in action.”
The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service was created in 2002 to celebrate The Queen’s Golden Jubilee. Volunteer groups that provide a social, economic or environmental service to the local community are eligible for nomination. It is regarded as the MBE for volunteer groups.
