The Royal Voluntary Service (RVS) is calling on charities to nominate outstanding volunteers to be recognised as part of the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations.
The Platinum Champions Award was launched by the organisation’s president, The Duchess of Cornwall. It is in partnership with The Big Jubilee Lunch, which is a celebration of the Queen’s jubilee weekend which will take place from 2 – 5 June.
As well as receiving royal support, the awards have also been backed by celebrities like Philip Schofield, Felicity Kendal, Oti Mabuse and Elaine Paige.
Some winners will be broadcast on BBC’s The One Show and Morning Live.
The RVS is encouraging charities to nominate volunteers in one of seven awards categories. They are: older people, children, crisis and welfare, community, mental health, physical health, and supporting the NHS and social care.
In each of the seven categories, 70 volunteers will be awarded a Platinum Champions honour, a Platinum Champions pin and a signed certificate from the Duchess of Cornwall.
A further 10 volunteers will be invited to celebrate at a special edition of the Big Jubilee Lunch on 5 June.
The deadline for the awards is 18 April. Charities and individuals can nominate a volunteer here.
‘Volunteers are the backbone of this country’
The Duchess of Cornwall said: “In honour of Her Majesty The Queen’s 70 years of service, we want to celebrate the outstanding contribution of volunteers. In the search for our Platinum Champions, we want to thank and recognise all of those truly special people that are making a real difference to our communities with their kindness and generosity.
“I hope many of you will share your stories of these local heroes and nominate them for a Platinum Champion Award. I believe it is these volunteers, enhancing the lives of others, that are the backbone of this country. I look forward to seeing our Platinum Champions, and all volunteers, celebrated at The Big Jubilee Lunch this summer.”
All entries will be judged by a panel of volunteering specialists, charity leaders, academics, and famous charitable faces. Nominees will be judged by their dedication to volunteering, impact on other people’s lives and inspirational qualities.
Catherine Johnstone, chief executive of RVS, said: “Through the Platinum Champions Awards, we want to commend volunteers of all ages, from all corners of the UK and from a range of causes for their generosity.
“Help us to celebrate the amazing difference they are making to the health and happiness of our communities, by nominating a volunteer for a Platinum Champions Award.”
Volunteers' Week 2022
At the same time, NCVO are coordinating Volunteers' Week, which will coincide with the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and takes place between 1 and 7 June .
This is the 38th year of the event. This year, the theme is “a time to say thanks”. Both online and in-person events will be taking place as part of the week-long celebration. More information on how charities and volunteers can get involved is available on the event’s official website.
Sarah Vibert, chief executive at NCVO, said: “Volunteers’ Week is about recognising all of those who have continued delivering vital work as volunteers over the past 12 months, acknowledging the huge number of first-time volunteers in communities around the country, and also saying thank you to all those who usually volunteer but have not been able to because of the ongoing pandemic.”
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