Henfield volunteers receive award

The Henfield Haven was presented with a Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service (QAVS) during a special visit from the Lord Lord Lieutenant for West Sussex.

On Sunday, September 5, Mrs Susan Pyper was finally able to hand over the award – which was made in June last year – after lockdowns prevented an official presentation.

The highest award that the voluntary sector can achieve – the equivalent of an MBE – it recognises by the Henfield Community and a group of volunteers that saved the Henfield Day Care Centre from the threat of closure in 2015.

Renamed the Henfield Haven, it is now a vital community centre, providing high needs care for people living with dementia, and a range of other services and activities.

The Haven Café, again mainly operated by volunteers, serves freshly cooked meals and snacks every weekday.

During her visit, Mrs Pyper explained the lengthy process involved in being awarded the QAVS, and how demanding the assessment criteria are to achieve. She praised the work of the 60+ volunteers, without whom the Haven would not have survived.

The Lord Lieutenant also thanked the Haven which became the operations centre for the Henfield Helpline during the Covid19 lockdown, providing much needed support to nearly 500 households in the local area and coordinating several hundred volunteers.

Deputy Lord Lieutenant Caroline Phillips then read out the citation, signed by Her Majesty the Queen.

The Lord Lieutenant presenting the award to chairman of the Haven Charitable Incorporated Organisation, Digby Stephenson, along with Caroline Nicholls; Ray Osgood (who nominated the Haven); High Sheriff Neil Hart; and two representatives of the Haven’s many volunteers – Liz Hodgson from the garden gang and café worker Michael Butlin