A Basingstoke charity has been given the highest award a local voluntary group can receive in the UK.

Home-Start Basingstoke and Deane, a volunteer-led charity, has been awarded The King’s Award for Voluntary Service for 2024. The award is equivalent to an MBE.

The charity, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary, was nominated for the services it provides to families with young children across the borough.

Its trained volunteers spend time with families in their homes and communities, providing practical and emotional support to help reduce isolation and empower families to give their children the best start.

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Its trained volunteers spend time with families in their homes and communities (Image: Home Start Basingstoke and Deane) Home-Start Basingstoke and Deane’s director of operations, Jools Anderson, said: "We are delighted and honoured to have been nominated and so pleased to be able to accept The King's Award for the difference our volunteers make in the community.

"This recognition is for all our volunteers, past, present and future, to remind them that they are appreciated for all the care and time they give to others."

Home-Start Basingstoke and Deane is one of 281 local charities, social enterprises, and voluntary groups to receive the prestigious award this year.

The King's Award for Voluntary Service aims to recognise outstanding work by local volunteer groups to support their communities.

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It was created in 2002 to celebrate Her Majesty The late Queen’s Golden Jubilee and was continued following the accession of His Majesty The King.

This year marks the second year of The King’s Award for Voluntary Service.

Home-Start Basingstoke and Deane will receive the award crystal and certificate from Nigel Atkinson Esq, Lord-Lieutenant of Hampshire, later this year.

In addition, two volunteers from Home-Start Basingstoke and Deane will attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace in May and June 2025, along with other recipients of this year’s award.

The recipients of the award were announced on November 14, The King's Birthday.

Award winners this year are diverse and include volunteer groups from across the UK, such as a mental health and wellbeing support network for veterans and their families in Yorkshire, a group preserving a historic 12th-century castle in South Wales, six volunteers providing English lessons for refugees in Stirling, and an organisation providing opportunities to engage in the arts for people with learning disabilities in County Fermanagh.