|
It
started with the late Cheryl Arthur taking the
initiative and getting the support of the church to
meet the needs of clients she met as part of her
daily work as a Social Worker. Since her untimely
death, the baton has passed to Anne Loftman and the
work has expanded to the point where Love in Action
(MK) Limited regularly caters for up to 40 people
each week through the provision of a warm meal,
companionship, clothes, and a bag of grocery. This
work has reached the ears of Her Majesty, Queen
Elizabeth II but this shouldn't be a surprise to us.
The reason is clear, this type of work is approved
by God and is part of His blueprint for the way we
should live and serve as Christians. James 1:27
tells us that "Pure and undefiled religion, before
God and the Father is this; to visit orphans and
widows in their trouble." In other words, to look
after the needs of those in distress.
Love in Action was not formed to seek awards, but
nevertheless, we are grateful that others have "seen
our good works" and spoken on our behalf and we are
thankful to Councillors Tom and Isabella Fraser for
sponsoring us (without our knowledge) for this
award. The prestigious National Honour, which is
equivalent to the MBE, sets the national benchmark
for excellence in volunteering, and the activities
of those awarded have been judged of the highest
standard. Love in Action (MK) has received the Award
for its work in relieving the hardship and distress
among people who are homeless, living in poverty or
suffering from social or economic adversity. Love in
Action is the first community group to win the award
at the first time of asking. Other winners have
taken two or three attempts to reach the standards
required. We give the praise and glory back to God.
Winners of this year’s Award were selected from
groups nominated by members of the public who have
been helped personally or witnessed the benefits of
a group’s work in their community. The award was
announced in June but the presentation took place on
Sabbath, September 26th. The best
representation we can give of the ceremony, is to
reproduce Sir Henry's speech in full.
Love in Action
Presentation on 26th, September 2009
It is a great pleasure to be here today to pay
tribute to the volunteers of Love in Action
–who have been given a Queen’s Award for Voluntary
Service - 2009. May I just say a few words about the
background to the Award which is equivalent to the
MBE for individuals. It was decided by Her Majesty
that there should be a new award to commemorate the
Golden Jubilee of her accession to the throne in
1952.
The Queen’s Golden Jubilee award, as it was first
known, was to be made annually to recognize and
reward excellence in voluntary activities carried
out by groups of people in the community.
Subsequently the award was renamed the Queen’s Award
for Voluntary Service. The award is given for
outstanding achievement by groups of two or more
people in the United Kingdom who volunteer their own
time to enhance and improve the quality of life and
opportunity for individuals or other groups in the
community.
The criteria for assessing awards are tough – as
indeed they should be. They take into account
whether the nominated group meets a particular need;
provides community focus to voluntary activities of
a very high quality; has generated a high level of
goodwill and respect amongst those it serves and the
community as a whole; has evolved locally and is
locally-run; and has a proven track record of
involvement in the community – normally over a
period of at least three years.
Within Buckinghamshire there were eleven nominations
for 2009 and I am delighted that Love in Action was
one of the two in the county which met the stringent
criteria laid down and one of only 95 nationally.
Since the start in 2002 just nine groups in
Buckinghamshire have received the Queen’s Award for
voluntary service. As Lord-Lieutenant I have the
privilege, together with a number of my Deputy
Lieutenants, to review the nominations made and to
make comments. Actually, the decision as to who
should receive the award is made by HM the Queen
herself on the advice of a minister supported by a
national expert’s panel.
It is always pleasing to note the very high level of
voluntary commitment that exists within the county
and I congratulate all those who give so much of
their time to help others. If you know of group that
would be worthy of a Queen’s Award go to:-
www.queensawardvoluntary.gov.uk/
Love in Action (MK) has received the Award for its
work to relieve hardship and distress among people
who are homeless and/or living or suffering from
social or economical adversity. I thought that you
might like to hear the county panel’s overall
impression of this unique group.
-
The group was set up three years ago by a local
church group to address the needs of the
homeless in the centre of Milton Keynes.
-
The work of the group is especially valuable in
that:
-
The beneficiaries are a difficult to reach group
of people of all ages with multiple needs who
fall through the state safety net and attract
little sympathy from the public.
-
It is likely that the demand for these services
will increase.
-
The group has been successful in gaining the
confidence of the majority of its users; it is
extending its activities to engage members of
another faith group in providing support and
specialist (medical) support.
-
The work is funded almost entirely by the group
(congregation of the Church of the Seventh day
Adventists) who provided the property for the
service. The funding is the largest single call
on their finances.
-
The services are unconditional (except banning
drugs/alcohol) and unrelated to church
attendance. There is no church service on the
day of the weekly meal and no proselytising.
-
The group are non-judgemental, and the weekly
provisions, socks, shoes etc are provided
without questioning their use.
-
The service is provided by a mix of adults and
youngsters, plus non parish volunteers,
including two former users in an open and
friendly atmosphere based round listening and
trust.
-
The leader is a professional social worker who
organises and inspires the group on an entirely
voluntary basis. The group provide a service for
individuals who are increasingly “hassled” by
others and are at risk from illness and violence
in a town which has no historic framework for
addressing their needs.
In summary the panel were extremely impressed by
this group which it considers to be highly deserving
of an award. I have much pleasure in presenting to
you the commemorative plaque and certificate which
represents the award." H A-F
One
ruler has given us a "well done" but we look forward
to hearing those words from Christ Himself, plus the
invitation to enter into the kingdom because we have
carried out His approved plan. As a token of
our appreciation, Anne presented Sir Henry with a
copy of The Desire of Ages.
|
