Great news for Surrey!

Three Surrey volunteer groups honoured with the King’s Award for Voluntary Service 2025.

The volunteers from three Surrey groups, who dedicate their valuable time and experience to help individuals and communities across the county, have been rewarded with the prestigious 2025 King’s Award for Voluntary Service (KAVS) as announced on 14^th November, HM The King’s birthday. A KAVS is the highest award a local voluntary group can receive in the UK and is equivalent to an MBE.

Welcoming the announcement, HM Lord-Lieutenant of Surrey, Michael More-Molyneux, congratulated the winning groups and highlighted the outstanding contribution made by these volunteers across Surrey’s local communities. The groups are among the 232 charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups to receive the prestigious Award across the UK his year. Their work, along with others from across the UK, reminds us of all the ways in which fantastic volunteers are contributing to their local communities and working to make life better for those around them.

The Lord-Lieutenant commented: “The work that these groups do for the benefit of their local community or across the county is quite outstanding.  If it were not for the volunteers’ tireless work and commitment – and the dedication to the good of others which they represent – the services they provide would not happen. I am delighted that these extraordinary contributions to the welfare of the people of Surrey have been recognised nationally.” 

The volunteer groups honoured with the 2025 King’s Award for Voluntary Service are::

[Cranleigh Arts Centre; The National Honey Show; Spelthorne Dementia Support]

In addition to the 3 successful groups within the county, the Surrey KAVS assessment panel also put forward Sutton Vision, assessed Sutton Vision on behalf of Greater London and are delighted that they have won a KAVS.

The Award itself – a certificate signed by the King and a domed crystal – will be presented to each winning group over the coming months by Surrey’s Lord-Lieutenant or a representative Deputy Lieutenant, on behalf of HM The King.

In addition, two volunteers from each group will attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace in 2026, along with other national recipients of this year’s Award.

The Vice Lord-Lieutenant of Surrey, Mrs Mary Creswell DL, chairs the county’s KAVS Local Panel, which is made-up of experienced assessors. They interviewed every nominated group between December 2024 and March 2025 before sending their findings to the National Award Committee, which makes the final recommendations to the Cabinet Office and ultimately to HM The King.

Following the announcement of this year’s winners, Mrs Creswell extended an invitation to Surrey residents to nominate groups of deserving volunteers for The King’s Awards for Voluntary Service 2026. Full details of how to proceed and a nomination form are available online at: https://kavs.dcms.gov.uk/

Please also see the attached pdf of the KAVS leaflet produced exclusively by the Surrey Lieutenancy for more information on how to nominate.

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