Scheme Awards & Commendations  

Queen's Award for Voluntary Service logo

We are very proud of the service we give to our community which does not always go unnoticed. Here we share with with you some of the letters of thanks and awards that we have received both nationally and locally that we truly cherish.

Awards

Queen's Award for Voluntary Service

On June 2nd our scheme was announced as one of 130 winners of The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service 2011, the MBE for groups of volunteers who work in their local community for the benefit of others.

This prestigious UK National Honour recognises outstanding voluntary contributions and sets the national benchmark for excellence in volunteering, with the work of those awarded being judged to be of the highest standard.

Effingham & District Community First Responders scheme received the Award after being selected from 413 nominated groups for it's outstanding work by making the difference between a life lost and a life saved in the local community.

The scheme was nominated by Malcolm Ash, one of the people whose life we saved. He suffered a heart attack and subsequent cardiac arrest but thanks to prompt attention by one of our first responders, he survived.

We will soon receive a certificate signed by The Queen and an exclusive commemorative crystal, presented by Her Majesty's representative in Surrey, Lord Lieutenant Sarah Goad, at a special ceremony.

Our group has also received an invitation for representatives to attend a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace in the July.