Issued on behalf of the West Sussex Lieutenancy: Manhood Wildlife and Heritage Group recognised by The Queen with prestigious Award

The Manhood Wildlife and Heritage Group from Selsey has been announced as one of 103 UK volunteering groups to win this year’s The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, the MBE for volunteer groups.

The prestigious National Honour recognises outstanding contributions made to local communities by groups voluntarily devoting their time for the benefit of others. It sets the national benchmark for excellence in volunteering, with the work of those awarded being judged of the highest standard.

The Manhood Wildlife and Heritage Group has received the Award for their outstanding work in the community, including:

• Working to identify where practical conservation works could help links across the peninsula

• Mapping the vegetation in the parish

• Producing walk leaflets for the area

• Conducting water vole surveys

• Encouraging people to take action to understand and protect their local environment

Winners of this year’s Award were selected from 341 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 Manhood Wildlife and Heritage Group will receive a certificate signed by the Queen and an exclusive commemorative crystal, presented by Her Majesty’s representative in West Sussex, Mrs Susan Pyper, the Lord-Lieutenant at a special ceremony arranged by the Lieutenancy office.

The group has also received an invitation for representatives to attend a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace in the summer.

Mrs Pyper said, “‘I am absolutely delighted that one of our outstanding voluntary organisations in the County has been selected as a winner of this most prestigious award. I hope that their success will act as a spur to our many other voluntary organisations to encourage them to seek formal recognition of the excellence of their work.’

Eleven groups from West Sussex have now won the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, over the eight years since it was created by Her Majesty to mark the occasion of her Golden Jubilee in 2002.

For details of all this year’s Award winners and information on how to nominate a group, visit www.direct.gov.uk/thequeensawardforvoluntaryservice, where a nomination form can be downloaded.

Poems and Pints

Come and enjoy readings of poems by local celebrities while enjoying a drink from the local pub at Goffs Park.

Poems and Pints takes place on Sunday June 20 in the garden of the Goffs Manor pub from 3pm. Visitors can also bring along their favourite poem to read out.

The event is organised by the Friends of Goffs Park. Everyone is invited.

For more details call Tony Coles on 01293 527402 or Andy Rogers on 01293 537257.

Town twinning weekend

More than 100 people from Crawley’s twin town of Dorsten in Germany will be in the town later this month for 48 hours of sport and music.

On Friday June 25 the Rhade Youthband will be in Crawley performing in the Bandstand in Queens Square from 11am in front of Deputy Mayor, Councillor Carol Eade.

In the evening the band will take to the stage at Holy Trinity School in Gossops Green and will play a joint concert with the school’s orchestra from 7.30pm. Members of the public are invited to this free event.

On Saturday June 26 the Dorsten under 17s girls basketball team will play a tournament at K2 Crawley from 11.30am-4pm. The Crawley under 17s team will also be playing in the tournament and the ‘twin town’ contest will take place at 12.30pm.