Daisy Lodge facility receives Queen’s award

Daisy Lodge facility receives Queen’s award

13 June 2018

THE Cancer Fund for Children’s Daisy Lodge facility in Newcastle has been honoured with a Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service — the MBE for voluntary groups in the UK.

The Fund offers a range of specialist therapeutic services for children, teenagers and young adults living with cancer and their families, largely based at their inspirational Daisy Lodge base in Newcastle.

Mrs Wendy McCulla, chairwoman, and Mrs Gillian Creevy, CEO, attended a garden party at Buckingham Palace on May 31 where they met the Queen and other award winners.

Cancer Fund for Children is one of 250 volunteer-led groups to receive the prestigious award this year. 

This is the highest award given to volunteer groups across the UK to recognise exceptional service within their communities.

Ms McCulla said: “We are honoured that Cancer Fund for Children has been awarded the Queens Award for Volunteering in recognition of our inspirational volunteers who generously give their time to help support children and young people affected by cancer in Northern Ireland.

“The commitment, passion and enthusiasm our volunteers have for our cause makes such a huge impact on the lives of so many families affected by cancer. They are truly deserving of this award.” 

Tracey Crouch, Minister for Sport and Civil Society, said:  “Everyone who has received this award should be incredibly proud. Their service, commitment and care has a profoundly positive impact on communities throughout the country and I am delighted they have been recognised with this prestigious award. 

“The record number of recipients this year is testament to the strength of the voluntary sector and I am sure this trend will continue into the future. If you know any organisations that deserve to be  recognised, make your voice heard and nominate them for next year.”

The chairman of the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service Independent Committee, former broadcast journalist Sir Martyn Lewis, said: “This year’s record number of Queen’s Award awardees are a powerful testimony to the remarkable achievements and innovative ideas which characterise volunteering in the UK.

“They prove that, more than ever, volunteers beavering away at grassroots level are the active lifeblood of our communities, identifying all kinds of problems and issues and tackling them with enthusiasm, talent and a high degree of success.

“The recipients of the Queen’s Award are at the very top of a formidable volunteering movement in the UK involving millions of our citizens, and going from strength to strength.”