Blood Bikes Wales\Beiciau Gwaed Cymru has received The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service.
Blood Bikes Wales, a group of volunteers based in Wales has been honoured with The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, the highest award a voluntary group can receive in the UK.
Blood Bikes Wales is a 100% voluntary organisation which provides a completely free delivery service to our NHS delivering blood, samples, medicines, medical equipment, donated human milk, and other items across Wales and beyond.
Blood Bikes Wales is one of 241 charities, social enterprises, and voluntary groups to receive the prestigious award this year. The number of nominations remains high year on year, showing that the voluntary sector is thriving and full of innovative ideas to make life better for those around them.
The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service aims to recognise outstanding work by volunteer groups to benefit their local communities. It was created in 2002 to celebrate The Queen’s Golden Jubilee. Recipients are announced each year on 2nd June, the anniversary of The Queen’s Coronation. Award winners this year are wonderfully diverse. They include volunteer groups from across the UK, including an inclusive tennis club in Lincolnshire; a children’s bereavement charity in London; a support group those living with dementia and their carers in North Yorkshire; a volunteer minibus service in Cumbria; a group supporting young people in Belfast; a community radio station in Inverness and a mountain rescue team in Powys.
This year a special designation is being given to QAVS awardees that provided impactful support to the community in response to the pandemic last year - either by managing a significant increase in their usual work or providing extra support in other ways. Based on the information gathered at the local assessment, Blood Bikes Wales has been selected for this designation and will receive a special thank you. The group will receive a slightly modified crystal with the words ’with special recognition - Covid 19’ included in the engraving.
Representatives of Blood Bikes Wales will receive the award crystal and certificate from Morfudd Meredith, Lord-Lieutenant of South Glamorgan later this summer. Furthermore, two volunteers from Blood Bikes Wales will attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace in May 2022 (depending on restrictions at the time), along with other recipients of this year’s Award.
Nigel Ward, Chairman says: “2020 was an awful year for everyone and for charities, it’s been very challenging. As a charity, we are fortunate that not only have we managed to keep going but the goals of this charity to help our NHS aptly fitted the circumstances we found ourselves in. I am absolutely delighted that the hard work and commitment of our volunteers has been recognised with this award.”