YLF Receives Royal Approval!

The Young Lives Foundation has been recognised with The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service for 2015!

YLF's Appropriate Adult (AA) Service has been honoured with The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service - the highest award a voluntary group can receive in the UK equivalent to an MBE!

Appropriate Adults give over 10,000 volunteering hours per year in the community, supporting children and vulnerable adults detained in Kent police custody suites.

Stephen Gray, CEO, and Lisa Warne, Voluntary Services Manager, attended a garden party at Buckingham Palace on 20th May where they met The Queen and other winners of this year’s award.

YLF’s AA Service is one of 187 charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups to receive the prestigious award this year – 1 of just 6 Kent charities nominated!

The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service (QAVS) is the highest award given to local volunteer groups across the UK to recognise outstanding work in their communities. YLF’s AA Service will receive the award from The Vice Lord Lieutenant of Kent, later this summer.

The QAVS 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.”

Viscount De L'Isle Lord Lieutenant of Kent said:

“I congratulate YLF and its Appropriate Adult Service on winning The Queens Award for Voluntary Service. A national award you can be certain that many have applied for but few can receive the accolade, which is equivalent to a corporate MBE. I look forward to presenting the award to the service and meeting as many of the volunteers as possible at the event.”

Stephen Gray, YLF CEO, said:

“I am delighted that our Appropriate Adults have been recognised with this prestigious award. I have always been humbled by their commitment, dedication, professionalism and the number of hours each volunteer gives to support some of the county’s most vulnerable people. Our partners, Kent Police, Medway Council and Kent County Council value and recognise their contribution, so it is with great pride that this has now also been recognised at a national level. We can say with some confidence that our appropriate adults are some of the most dedicated volunteers in the country.”

YLF have over 170 volunteers making a difference to disadvantaged people across the county every day. To join the YLF team of volunteers, please visit www.ylf.org.uk or call 01622 693459 for more information.