Hattersley Health Champions receive The King’s Award for Voluntary Service

Hattersley Health Champions, a group of volunteers based in Tameside, Greater Manchester, have been awarded The King’s Award for Voluntary Service for 2024.

This is the highest award a local voluntary group can receive in the UK and is equivalent to an MBE.

Initially set-up in 2018 to support Hattersley Group Practice, the local GP surgery, their volunteering has since expanded to provide an impressive timetable of activities that support health and wellbeing in the local community.

Grenville Lunn, Hattersley Health Champions chair, said: “The group of four volunteers are truly honoured to receive The King’s Award for Voluntary Service and they are immensely proud to receive this recognition.

“Hattersley Health Champions run weekly craftwork and gentle exercise sessions, host Christmas and summer events, have created our award-winning keep-well garden at Hattersley Group Practice, organised a community music group, and set-up an annual kids in crisis Christmas presents appeal, which has delivered thousands of gifts to children in Hattersley and Hyde over the past five years.

“Our work has expanded to cover environmental issues that impact our health and wellbeing. We co-ordinate monthly litter picks in and around Hattersley and get involved in tree-planting and garden makeover projects. Our biggest environmental awareness project to date has involved working with six local primary schools to create a series of murals that explore the effects of climate change on health. The murals now form a permanent art exhibition outside Hattersley Group Practice.

“The group’s longest-running activity is the monthly Parkinson’s and dementia café, which is a friendly and relaxed affair with free food and is livened-up by Mike, our resident magician. The café provides those suffering with Parkinson’s and dementia with a point-of contact with the Tameside neuro-rehabilitation team and Parkinson’s UK, who regularly attend.”

Hattersley Health Champions is one of 281 local charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups to receive the prestigious award this year.

David Beckett, chief executive of gtd healthcare* and main funder of the champions, said this award is truly deserving.

“The commitment the champions have shown over the years has been exceptional,” he said.

“The time and effort they have invested really demonstrates their passion for not only improving the wellbeing of their community but for providing a safe space for people to engage in vital and meaningful conversations. One of gtd healthcare’s core values is to contribute to the wellbeing of our local communities. Seeing how the champions have been able to use the funding for projects that are deeply rooted within these neighbourhoods is wonderful to see.”

The King’s Award for Voluntary Service aims to recognise outstanding work by local volunteer groups to support their communities. It was created in 2002 to celebrate Her Majesty The late Queen’s Golden Jubilee and, was continued following the accession of His Majesty The King. 2024 marks the second year of The King’s Award for Voluntary Service.

Recipients are announced annually on 14 November, The King’s Birthday. Award winners this year include volunteer groups from across the UK.

Representatives of Hattersley Health Champions will receive the award crystal and certificate from Lord-Lieutenant Diane Hawkins, Lord-Lieutenant of Greater Manchester in the coming months. In addition, two volunteers from Hattersley Health Champions will attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace in May and June 2025, along with other recipients of this year’s award.

Grenville concluded: “It is a real boost to have the champions’ work recognised with this award. Our volunteers have put in a lot of hard graft to establish the group and give it the momentum and direction it needs to thrive. It is special when we see, first hand, how people benefit from our work and it is the icing on the cake to have our contribution to our community recognised with the King’s Award. We’d also like to pay tribute to our local network of voluntary groups, with whom we work side-by-side to create a caring and inclusive community. Also, thanks to our funders/supporters who help make our work possible.”

Hattersley Health Champions’ work, along with others from across the UK, is a reminder of all the ways fantastic volunteers are contributing to their local communities and working to make life better for those around them.

Background information

• The group is entirely voluntary and provides most of its sessions free of charge to the local community. Activities are partly self-financed through sale of the group’s craftwork products (including their award-winning jams and pickles), community donations, and grant funding.
• Grant funding supporters include gtd healthcare* (a not-for-profit provider of primary care and urgent care services, including the management of Hattersley Group Practice), NHS Property Services, Onward Homes, Action Together, Tameside councillors, Forever Manchester, Tesco and Groundwork GM.
• The group also raises funds for other charitable causes including Ukraine medical supplies, Macmillan Cancer Support and Hattersley Defibrillator Appeal.
• Lord-Lieutenants represent the monarch in each of the UK’s ceremonial counties.
• This year there are 281 recipients of The King’s Award Voluntary Service from across the UK and Channel Islands.
• More information on the recipients and the Award can be found at https://kavs.dcms.gov.uk/.
• Full details on how to nominate are available at https://kavs.dcms.gov.uk/.
• Nominations for the 2025 award opened on the 1 September 2024.

For further information, please contact anna.fox3@nhs.net / 07771 577640.