West Yorkshire Charities Honored with King’s Voluntary Service Award

Twelve charities operating in West Yorkshire have been granted The King’s Award for Voluntary Service for the year 2024. This accolade represents the most prestigious recognition a local voluntary group can attain within the UK, holding a status comparable to an MBE appointment. Notable among the recognized organizations are Uniform Exchange, a charity located in Huddersfield; Nell Bank, situated in Ilkley; and Middleton Elderly Aid, which operates from Leeds. Kate France, the founder and project director of Uniform Exchange, attributed the award to the charity’s 30 volunteers, stating: “They make a real, tangible difference to the quality of people’s lives”. Uniform Exchange operates by collecting and distributing school uniforms without charge to families facing financial difficulties in the Kirklees area. The charity reported that it was projected to assist approximately 10,000 children during 2024. A disabled single mother of four children from Huddersfield, who utilized the service, commented that it had “relieved the most awful worry and financial burden from me”. She further explained: “The fact I no longer had to buy that uniform meant my family budget stretched further and I had more in my bank account to put the heating on in winter and buy decent food for the children”. Her estimation indicated that the charity had contributed to savings of “at least £5,000 over the last decade” for her. She concluded by stating: “To a low-income family like mine [that] is a massive amount of money”. Other West Yorkshire charities also received recognition with a King’s Award, including: Nationally, 281 organisations have been granted the King’s Award for Voluntary Service this year. This recognition, previously designated as The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, was established in 2002 to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee. For highlights from West Yorkshire, listeners can tune into BBC Sounds, or view the most recent episode of Look North. Individuals are also invited to submit stories for potential coverage here. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content found on external sites. Further information regarding our approach to external linking is available.