Call to Nominate Lancashire Volunteer Groups for Prestigious King's Award
7th of September, 2026
Do you know a voluntary group that deserves recognition for the work it does? Why not consider
nominating it for a national award?
Robert Webb JP DL, Chair of the Lancashire Panel for The King’s Award for Voluntary Service (KAVS)
said:“The King’s Award for Voluntary Service is the highest honour that can be bestowed upon groups
of this kind and is equivalent in status to the MBE. Every day, millions of people across the UK are
making a difference by volunteering and each year, outstanding examples of this work will be
celebrated through The King’s Award for Voluntary Service.
“As such, The King’s Award not only serves to provide recognition of volunteer groups but also
demonstrates the high respect in which volunteering is held. Its purpose is to recognise
exceptional groups of individuals who are giving their time freely for the benefit of others and are
making a real difference in the communities they serve.
“Groups must be nominated for the Award - self nomination is not permitted. A group (three or
more people) can be nominated if it is based in the UK, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man
and has to have been volunteering for the benefit of people in the UK or overseas for at least three
years, and more than half its members must be volunteers who have the right of residence in the
UK. It must provide a specific local benefit and Groups solely concerned with fundraising for
charitable purposes or operating solely for the benefit of animals are not eligible.”
Previous winners have been extremely proud to have received this prestigious accolade and speak
very highly of the impact the Award has had on their organisation – it has increased morale; given
them a renewed sense of purpose and a determination to continue their work in their local
communities and has also helped gain grant funding.
The KAVS Team at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, administers the Award
and will happily help with any queries. You can contact them by email: kingsaward@dcms.gov.uk
or Tel: 0207 271 6206.
Further details on eligibility criteria and the nomination process (which is a fairly straightforward
online system) are available from: https://kavs.dcms.gov.uk/
The nomination window for the 2027 awards is now open and will close on 1st December 2026.