Oswestry Borderland Tourism recognised with King’s Award for Voluntary Service
The ceremony took place at Sweeney Hall, and on behalf of King Charles III, the awards were presented by The Lord Lieutenant of Shropshire, Mrs Anna Turner.
Also in attendance were Mr Brian Welti JP High Sheriff of Shropshire, The Mayor of Oswestry, Councillor Mike Isherwood, and Deputy Lieutenants Mrs Gill Hamer and Mrs Veronica Lillis. The audience included OBT’s volunteers and staff, members of the company and some of the many supporters of the organisation.
The award was accepted by Vice Chair Graham Mitchell along with Karen Pringle, who is retiring from the running the Tourist Information Centre. Each volunteer and staff member received a KAVS badge.
Equivalent to an MBE, KAVS is the highest award given to local voluntary groups in the UK and is awarded for life. Created in 2002 to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee and previously known as The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service (QAVS), the award has spotlighted the fantastic work of voluntary groups from across the UK for many years. On his accession King Charles continued the scheme and gave it his name. This year there were only 261 awards nationwide with eight awards in Shropshire.
Graham Mitchell said: “This is a very special award for us. It is unusual for a tourism company to be awarded, and I don’t think many people realise that the company is run by volunteers. We are absolutely over the moon to be recognised this way. The awards process looked very thoroughly at how we serve the visiting and local community and the strength of the company’s governance”.
Also on the evening, the Mayor Councillor Mike Isherwood presented bouquets to Ann Tomley and Karen Pringle marking their retirements from the Tourist Information Centre. Both have served tourist information in Oswestry for many years.
