Queen honours Civic Pride team
VOLUNTEERS from Civic Pride Rossendale are celebrating after winning a prestigious Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service – described as an MBE for charities.
They were originally nominated for the award last year and while they did not get it, they were advised to re-apply.
Civic Pride (CP) Rossendale volunteers spend their time clearing litter, tidying grot-spots, planting and maintaining gardens around the Valley.
Stuart Sugarman, chief executive of Rossendale council (RBC), paid tribute to the group and its volunteers for earning Royal approval.
He said: “I am delighted Civic Pride have been recognised for their outstanding work in making Rossendale a better place.
“This is a well-deserved accolade. We can’t thank Civic Pride and its many volunteers enough for what they do.
“Groups like Civic Pride do so much good for the borough and without them, Rossendale would be a much poorer place.
“As a council, we will continue to support our local groups and work with them to improve the borough.”
The group’s work in 2016 included reclaiming four derelict public gardens, planting 3,000 bulbs and plants, maintaining a further ten gardens and picking up around 18 tonnes of litter across its groups based in Rawtenstall, Haslingden, Edenfield, Waterfoot, Bacup, and Weir.
As recently as last month the group appointed a ‘ Dog Poo Czar’, Keith Ormerod.
Civic Pride chairman Chris Blomerley said the award was a “marvellous” tribute to the group.
He said: “Civic Pride was nominated for this wonderful award by Alyson Barnes, leader of RBC; her nomination being seconded by Jake Berry –different political affiliations but united in appreciation of the work which CP’s volunteers accomplish all year, every year.
“It was a gruelling interrogation by Her Majesty’s assessors but CP’s case clearly stood out.
“This is a marvellous tribute for the CP volunteers who work 365 days a year, in their quiet unsung way, in all weathers, to make our valley a beautiful place in which to live, to work, to attend school and to visit.
“I’m sure everyone across the Rossendale community will want to join me in thanking the hundreds of volunteers who’ve been involved over the 18 years CP has been in existence and congratulate them on this richly-deserved award.”