Volunteers at Kirgate Centre, Cockermouth presented with Kings Awards

Cockermouth’s Kirkgate Arts and Heritage has been presented with the King’s Award for Voluntary Service, the highest award given to volunteer groups across the UK.

The Lord Lieutenant of Cumbria, Alexander Scott, handed over the award to Rob Higgins, Chair of the Kirkgate’s Board of Trustees, at a special celebration event attended amongst others by Kirkgate volunteers, staff and trustees.

The Lord Lieutenant of Cumbria Alexander Scott (left) presents the Kings Award to Rob Higgins. (Image: Supplied)

The prestigious award, equivalent to the MBE, has been made in recognition of the exceptional work volunteers do from their base at the Kirkgate for the benefit of their local community.

To be nominated, a group must:

• be made up of at least 3 people;
• be led by volunteers, not paid staff;
• have been running for at least 3 years;
• be based in the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man.

The Lord Lieutenant, the King’s representative in Cumbria, was accompanied by Deputy Lord Lieutenants Chris Holmes and Caroline Thomson.

After handing over the certificate signed by the King and the domed glass crystal award, he said: “You should all be very proud. This award represents a great day for the organisation.

“The requirements are demanding. It needs to be volunteer led, largely volunteer delivered and well ran in all areas.”

The Kings Award presentation party. (Image: Supplied)

Rob Higgins, Chair of the Kirkgate’s Board of Trustees, added: “The award is ‘for outstanding achievement by groups of volunteers’ and we’d like to extend our heartfelt thanks and congratulations to all of you, our volunteers, who play such a crucial role in the life of the Kirkgate.

“We’ll be putting on over 400 events in the coming year across a wide range of activities. We’re also planning some significant infrastructure improvements.

“We couldn’t do any of this without the help of our 100 plus volunteers so a big thank you to all of you.”