Queenscourt Hospice invited to Buckingham Palace to celebrate prestigious Queen’s Award. 

Community | 1 June 2022

On Wednesday the 25^th of May two members of #teamqueenscourt were invited to Buckingham Palace in London to celebrate The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service which we received last year.

In August 2021, our Volunteers were presented with the highest honour that a voluntary group in the UK can receive, equivalent to a volunteering MBE. This prestigious award was presented to Queenscourt’s Volunteers by Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant, Mr Mark FW Blundell, representing Her Majesty The Queen. This is a testament to the hard work and dedication shown by all of our Volunteers, past and present.

Over the course of each year, The Queen welcomes over 30,000 guests to spend a relaxed summer afternoon in the beautiful gardens of Buckingham Palace.

The day involved a marquee with a fabulous spread of food and drinks, a parade by the iconic London Beefeaters and an appearance by the Royal Family themselves.

Ash Halligan-Giles, Volunteer Administrator at Queenscourt and Jan Farrell, Queenscourt Volunteer were invited along to the garden celebrations to represent our hospice, where they enjoyed afternoon tea and the chance to see members of the Royal Family.

After the National Anthem was played, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge William and Kate, Edward and Sophie Earl and Countess of Wessex, and Princess Beatrice entered the crowd of people and chatted to the attendees.

Speaking on the palace celebrations, Ash said: “It was certainly a once in a lifetime experience and something I will never forget. The palace gardens were stunning and everyone was dressed for the occasion in top hats and fascinators – it was a very British occasion and oozed tradition!

“It was truly a privilege to represent Queenscourt at such a prestigious event and to celebrate receiving our Queens Award.”

Jan Farrell was selected out of 500 of Queenscourt’s Volunteers to attend the event using a lottery system. Jan is one of our lovely Florist Volunteers – who had been volunteering for Queenscourt for six years prior the pandemic.

She said: “I was delighted to be chosen to attend the palace celebrations, it was a really lovely day and we got to speak to some very interesting people.

“It was such a privilege to be there and to represent Queenscourt, especially as the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations were approaching. It was a great atmosphere.

“I’m excited to get back to volunteering at the hospice, and I’d like to help out as a Volunteer Receptionist. It’s such a great cause.”

During the first week of June, Queenscourt celebrated National Volunteers’ Week, providing us with the opportunity to say thank you to all of our wonderful Volunteers for their continuing support. As part of our celebrations for National Volunteers’ Week 2022, we welcomed our Volunteers for a two-day event in the grounds of Queenscourt for “tea and cakes, and a good catch up”.

Our Volunteers are instrumental in helping us to deliver compassionate care for thousands of local people with life-limiting illnesses.

Queenscourt Hospice is currently looking for a number of volunteers, particularly Gardening and Retail Volunteers.  If you would like to help support #teamqueenscourt by becoming a Volunteer, please contact the Volunteering Team on 01704 544645 for a chat about the roles, or email volunteers@queenscourt.org.uk