Share and Repair in Bath has been awarded The King’s Award for Voluntary Service. This is the highest award a local voluntary group can receive in the UK and is equivalent to an MBE.
Share and Repair is a charity which aims are to help local people save money and the planet through reduce, repair and reuse. They do this through the Share and Repair shop in central Bath which is home to the Bath Library of Things and regular repair sessions along with a network of 10 Repair Cafes across the wider area.
They also run a series of regular HOW TO workshops and HomeKIT which repurposes electrical items and distributes them through a local network of charities to low-income families.
Lorna Montgomery, Founder and Chair, said, “We are over the moon! Our volunteers are the backbone and the most vital resource, of what we do and how we do it. They make it possible to realise our ambition to reach further into our communities. They all deserve this recognition and I hope it will encourage others to see the value and benefits of volunteering for a local charity.”
Share and Repair is one of 262 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 benefit their communities. It was created in 2002 to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee and, following his accession, His Majesty The King emphasised his desire to continue the Award.
Recipients are announced annually on 14 November, The King’s Birthday. Award winners this year are wonderfully diverse and include volunteer groups from across the UK, such as a social support network for disabled adults in Banffshire; a charity using a refurbished pool as a community hub in south Wales; volunteer doctors providing pre-hospital care across rural Cumbria; and a village renewal organisation promoting sustainability, equality and social inclusion in County Antrim.
Representatives of Share and Repair will receive the award crystal and certificate from Mr Mohammed Sadiq Lord-Lieutenant of Somerset later this summer. In addition, two volunteers from Share and Repair will attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace in May and June 2024, along with other recipients of this year’s Award.
Lorna Montgomery added, “As a volunteer, I am delighted that our group’s work has been recognised. Since our beginnings in 2017, our volunteer numbers have grown from a handful to over 250. Together we have kept almost 4,000 items out of landfill, and saved people in Bath and North East Somerset £180,000 through borrowing over 4200 items over the last three years.”