Her Majesty the Queen has bestowed the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service on two Edinburgh-based charities. The first is It’s Good 2 Give! which provides a support network for children with cancer and the second is PF Counselling Services which provides a free counselling service.
At a ceremony in the City Chambers last month there was a packed house as the Lord Lieutenant Frank Ross presented representatives from the charities with the prestigious award in the form of a crystal decanter and a certificate.
Established in 2002 to mark the Golden Jubilee and to recognise the outstanding contributions made to local communities by groups of volunteers, the Queen’s Awards are the highest public recognition afforded to UK charities, which the Lord Lieutenant explained is a charity’s equivalent to an MBE. The Lord Lieutenant is the Queen’s representative in the city.
He said : “It affords you the opportunity not only to feel very proud of what the award recipients have achieved and the national recognition by our Head of State but also that this award is importantly the highest public recognition award provided in the UK.”
He explained that he had to visit each of the charities in December 2018 and January 2019 and then offer a citation and report of the volunteers involved in the nominated organisations.
The Lord Lieutenant said : “I was highly impressed and indeed in many instances humbled by the work of each of the organisations and the dedication and passion of the volunteers involved. It was clear to me that all the nominations were outstanding contenders for Her Majesty the Queen’s recognition.
“Edinburgh continues by far to be Scotland’s leading hub for volunteering and active citizenship with 160,000 people regularly volunteering and committing over 600,000 hours every week in a volunteering capacity.”
Lynne McNicoll OBE set up the charity It’s Good 2 Give! in 2010 which supports young cancer patients and their families with practical support. Recognised for the incredible impact volunteers make to the lives of families in Edinburgh, the award follows the opening of the Ripple Retreat in 2017, a specially designed house on the shores of Loch Venachar which offers a space for people to unwind away from the everyday realities of living with cancer. Their Patron Grant Stott explained some of the charity’s work and why he had become involved.
When Lynne and Ian first asked Grant to become a patron he just felt compelled to say yes. He had fallen in love with the charity and everything it does. He said : “I use the L word deliberately, because love is right at the heart of It’s Good 2 Give.”
Alison Hampton then collected an award on behalf of PF Counselling Services. Known as the PF, the volunteer led charity provides counselling to adults all over Edinburgh and is based in Morningside. They are recognised for enabling people to feel supported to make changes in the their lives to help them to grow and embrace life more fully.
Ms Hampton said : “We are helping adults of all ages with the emotional and psychological issues that can affect any of us such as depression anxiety, grief, relationship, loss or trauma. Our clients come from all walks of life and each individual matters to us. However we are also aware of the larger scale impact that a period of one to one counselling can have on families, communities or on society as a whole.”
John Dickson, one of the volunteer counsellors with the PF rather wisely recognised that some of their clients might also require help from It’s Good 2 Give, all demonstrating that no matter which charity you support you might actually be helping more than one at a time.
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