Kineton Sports and Social Club gets King’s award
FROM thousands of nominations, Kineton Sports and Social Club (KSSC) has been selected for one of the country’s most prestigious awards.
Primarily set up to enhance sports participation in the village – the club hosts football, bowls and cricket teams as well as snooker, darts and dominoes – the venue and its grounds are also used to hold village events, including plenty of fundraisers for good causes.
The dedication of the club’s volunteers from across the years has now seen it given the highest award a local voluntary organisation can receive in the UK, the King’s Award for Voluntary Service, which is equivalent to an MBE.
The club was one of just two in Warwickshire to receive the award on this occasion, the other was Hope 4 Rugby, which started life as a soup kitchen in Rugby in 2005.
The announcement was made on King Charles III’s birthday and delighted everyone involved with the club.
KSSC chair Amanda Chambers said: “We are absolutely thrilled that our group’s work has been recognised by the King.
“So much work goes on behind the scenes at the club and this award is a fantastic way of thanking everyone for all the time and effort they so willingly donate. I am delighted that we can officially pay tribute to the hard work and commitment of our wonderful volunteers.”
Haydn Dunant, business development manager at KSSC, added: “We were nominated by the ex-chair of Kineton Parish Council, David Gosling and Kineton vicar Barry Jackson, for all the hard work the volunteers have achieved over the years.
“We had a visit from two formal gentlemen. They had thousands of nominations and said that if we didn’t hear anything, then we hadn’t won. But we did win and the KSSC committee has been so excited about this ever since.”
KSSC joins an elite group of 281 local charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups to receive the prestigious award this year.
Both Warwickshire groups will receive the award crystal and certificate from Tim Cox, Lord Lieutenant of Warwickshire, within the next 12 months. In addition, two volunteers from each group will be able to attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace.
Mr Cox said: “Both of these organisations are great examples of going above and beyond for their local communities, and I would like to congratulate them on achieving the King’s Award for Voluntary Service.
“Their remarkable work contributes towards a thriving voluntary and charitable sector across our county. I hope that their efforts inspire even more groups to be nominated for the award next year.”
The King’s Award for Voluntary Service recognises outstanding work by volunteer groups to support their communities. It was created in 2002 to celebrate Her Majesty, the late Queen’s Golden Jubilee and was continued following the accession of the King.
