Kings Award for Voluntary Service
The New Forest Basics Bank (NFBB) receives The King’s Award for Voluntary Service
The New Forest Basics Bank, an independent foodbank with a group of 279 volunteers have been awarded The King’s Award for Voluntary Service for 2024. Based in Lymington and covering the whole of the New Forest their work sees them partnering with a number of external organisations to offer more than the regular food parcels including support for homeless people and offering opportunities for those out of work to gain skills and confidence. This is the highest award a local voluntary group can receive in the UK and is equivalent to an MBE.
The NFBB run entirely by volunteers, was founded in 2004 by a wide group of Lymington Churches and moved into their state-of-the-art new premises in April 2020 (a month after the start of the pandemic). 870 households received at least 1 parcel of food and household essentials in 2023. In total, 4,741 household parcels were sent out along with 203 parcels for local schools and youth clubs. The parcels are full of fresh fruit and vegetables along with home-made cakes, toiletries and fresh dairy products. They are all packed with great imagination.
Nationally, the NFBB is one of only 281 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.
The King’s Award for Voluntary Service aims to recognise outstanding work by local volunteer groups to support their communities. It was created in 2002 to celebrate Her Majesty The late Queen’s Golden Jubilee and, was continued following the accession of His Majesty The King. 2024 marks the second year of The King’s Award for Voluntary Service.
Recipients are announced annually on 14th November, The King’s Birthday. Award winners this year are wonderfully diverse and include volunteer groups from across the UK, such as a mental health and wellbeing support network for veterans and their families in Yorkshire; a group preserving a historic 12th century castle in south Wales; volunteers providing English lessons for refugees in Stirling and an organisation providing a opportunities to engage in the arts for people with learning disabilities in County Fermanagh.
Representatives of the NFBB will receive the award crystal and certificate from Nigel Atkinson the Lord Lieutenat of Hampshire in the near future. In addition, two volunteers from NFBB will attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace in May and June 2025, along with other recipients of this year’s Award.
Oliver Stanley the Chairman of the NFBB said: “This is a wonderful achievement for all of our 279 volunteers who always go out of their way to say “yes” and make it happen regardless of the size of the task. I am delighted and so proud the whole teams work has been recognised, we are open every working day of the year working well into the evening regardless of weather and I have enjoyed every single day I have been involved but never forget our best day will always be tomorrow.
