The Wey & Arun Canal Trust receives The King's Award for Volunteering
We are delighted to share that we have been awarded The King’s Award for Voluntary Service for 2026. This is the highest award a local voluntary group can receive in the UK and is equivalent to an MBE.
The Wey & Arun Canal Trust is one of 250 local charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups to receive the prestigious award this year. Our 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 was created in 2002 to celebrate Her Late Majesty The Queen’s Golden Jubilee and was continued following the accession of His Majesty The King. 2026 marks the third year of The King’s Award for Voluntary Service.
Recipients are announced annually on 14th November. The award winners this year are wonderfully diverse and include volunteer groups from across the UK. Representatives of The Wey & Arun Canal Trust will receive the crystal award and certificate from Mrs Neelam Devesher MBE Lord-Lieutenant of Surrey in the coming months and we are planning an event that all volunteers will be able to attend.
In addition, two volunteers from the Wey & Arun Canal Trust will attend a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace in May and June 2027, along with other recipients of this year’s award.
In our press release Margaret Darvill is quoted saying “I am absolutely thrilled for the Wey & Arun Canal Trust to be a recipient of this coveted Award for Voluntary Service. This is a massive accolade for the immense contribution that our volunteers make and of all the hard work they do. It is also public recognition of the very positive benefit our work brings to the local community.”
More information on the recipients and the Award can be found at https://kavs.dcms.gov.uk