King's Award for Voluntary Service: Royal honour for Lancaster village gardening group

This is the highest award a local voluntary group can receive in the UK and is equivalent to an MBE.

Halton Gardening Group members are volunteer community gardeners who have been given this award for “restoring village heritage and public garden areas, providing community development and integration.”

Over the past few years the group has renovated the Memorial Jubilee Garden, which was donated to the village by Rev Hastings in memory of his parents and also his brother who was killed in the First World War, as well as in commemoration of the Silver Jubilee of King George V in 1935.

The group also maintains planters throughout the village, a wildflower banking and a terraced area in the grounds of the community centre.

Halton Gardening Group is one of 262 local charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups to receive the prestigious award this year.

Their work, along with others from across the UK, reminds us of all the ways fantastic volunteers are contributing to their local communities and working to make life better for those around them.

Group chair Monica Williams said: “We are delighted that our group’s work has been recognised in this way.

"However, we could not do what we do without the support of the community in Halton-with-Aughton.

"We are grateful for the support for our fundraising plant sales and garden safaris over the years, and for the many personal donations made to help us fund the projects we have undertaken in the village.”

The King’s Award for Voluntary Service aims to recognise outstanding work by local volunteer groups to benefit their communities. It was created in 2002 to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee and, following his accession, the King emphasised his desire to continue the award.

Recipients are announced annually on November 14, the King’s birthday. and this year include diverse recipients from across the country.

Representatives of Halton Gardening group will receive the award crystal and certificate from Mrs Amanda Parker JP, the Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire.