Rochdale Contact Centre recognised with Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service for 2015

June Sourbutts from Child and Family Connect attended a Garden Party at Buckingham Palace where she met the Queen and other winners of this year’s award

Rochdale Contact Centre, a voluntary group from Rochdale that works in the community to facilitate supported contact, has been honoured with the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, the highest award a voluntary group can receive in the UK.

Wendy Smith and her team of dedicated volunteers open every Saturday to provide a safe, neutral and friendly place where children whose parents have separated can meet a non-resident parent, or other family member, in an environment (where family dispute is kept at bay) when there is no viable alternative venue.

Lynn Duckworth and June Sourbutts from Child and Family Connect attended a Garden Party at Buckingham Palace on 20 May where they met the Queen and other winners of this year’s award.

Child and Family Connect Rochdale Contact Centre is one of 187 charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups to receive the award this year. The number of awards handed out to groups have increased by over 60% from 2014, due to an increase in high quality applications, showing that the voluntary sector is thriving and full of innovative ideas to tackle community challenges.

The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service is the highest award given to local volunteer groups across the UK to recognise outstanding work in their communities. The awards were created in 2002 to celebrate the Queen’s Golden Jubilee and winners are announced each year on 2 June – the anniversary of the Queen’s Coronation. Award winners this year range from Ablaze, a charity helping to raise academic achievement amongst disadvantaged young people in Bristol to a volunteer rescue boat service on Loch Lomond.

Rochdale Contact Centre will receive the award from the Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire later this summer.