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Local volunteer groups in Briton Ferry and Glyncorrwg honoured with King’s Award

Friends of Jersey Park in Briton Ferry and Noddfa Community Centre in Glyncorrwg are among just five Welsh recipients this year, standing alongside 231 groups across the UK. The award celebrates the impact of volunteers who give their time to strengthen communities, improve wellbeing and preserve local places.

Friends of Jersey Park, Briton Ferry

Jersey Park has long been a green heart of Briton Ferry, and the Friends group has worked tirelessly to keep it that way. Volunteers organise events, raise funds, and involve residents in improving the park’s environment. Their efforts promote health and wellbeing through open‑air activities, while also building a stronger sense of community.

The recognition has been warmly welcomed locally. Trustee Gareth Rice said:

“As a trustee of The Friends of Jersey Park, I am incredibly proud to share this news. Our volunteer group has been honoured with an award from His Majesty King Charles III — one of only 231 awards across the entire United Kingdom in 2025.

“This distinction is equivalent to an MBE, placing our local volunteers among the nation’s most outstanding community champions. It is proof that when a community comes together, it can achieve something truly remarkable.”

Fellow Trustee, John Beck added:

“The Friends of Jersey Park are honoured to receive this award from King Charles. Some 231 awards were made across the whole of the United Kingdom for 2025. This award is equivalent to an MBE, and we are very proud to receive it.”

Noddfa Community Centre, Glyncorrwg

Noddfa has been serving Glyncorrwg since 1976, run day‑to‑day by a volunteer executive committee. The centre is a hub for social wellbeing, offering room hire for community activities, a nursery school, and even a community church. It hosts initiatives like Codi’r To, a regeneration project through music, and provides space for programmes such as Gwaith Gwynedd, which helps people into work.

Volunteers at Noddfa Community Centre said the award was a proud moment for the whole community:

“We’re absolutely thrilled to share some amazing news! Noddfa Community Centre has been awarded The King’s Award for Voluntary Service — the highest honour a local voluntary group can receive in the UK, and the equivalent of an MBE.

“This incredible recognition celebrates the outstanding dedication, compassion, and hard work of our volunteers who give their time, energy, and hearts to support our community.

“We want to say a huge thank you to every single one of our volunteers — you make everything we do possible. And a special thank you to Jennifer Morris who nominated us for this prestigious award — your support means the world to us! We’re so proud to be part of such a caring and committed community.”

National recognition

Minister for Civil Society Stephanie Peacock said the awards highlight the extraordinary contribution of volunteers:

“These awards celebrate the extraordinary volunteers who are the lifeblood of communities across Wales. Day in, day out, they give their time, energy and compassion to transform lives and strengthen the places we call home.”

KAVS Chair Sir Martyn Lewis CBE added:

“The King’s Award for Voluntary Service is the UK’s top award for groups of remarkable citizens transforming many aspects of life in their local communities. For over two decades these annual awards have shown the people of our country at their very best.”

Looking ahead

Nominations for the 2026 King’s Award for Voluntary Service are now open, with applications closing on 1 December 2025. Any group of three or more volunteers, active for at least three years, can be put forward.

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Royal Honours for Rugeley Rifle Club

With great pleasure and excitement, the Committee can announce that Rugeley Rifle Club has been honoured with The King’s Award for Voluntary Service. Gazetted this morning, the King’s Award is the highest honour a voluntary group can receive in the UK, equivalent to an MBE. Rugeley is the first shooting sports club to ever receive this award.

Volunteering is at our heart

This award is a testament to all our volunteers, including the property team, coaches and administrators; but in particular recognises the work the club has done outside it’s own membership and the positive impact it has had on the wider local community. Over the past 10 years the club has worked with the Staffordshire Council of Voluntary Youth Services and Vysions Youth Service of Brereton, providing summer camps for local young people in association with Burntwood Target Sprint. Participants have completed volunteer work at the club including a mural on the outside of the range, and in return learned to shoot Olympic Air Rifle and Air Pistol.

In 2019, the club fundraised for a Public Access Defibrillator, which saw the adoption of Rugeley and District Community First Responders (RADCFR) as a supported charity and the more recent installation of an emergency Bleed Control Kit. RADCFR themselves were honoured with the Queen’s Award in 2018.

British Schools Championship Finals

In 2022, the Club supported British Shooting in bringing the National Finals of the Schools Pistol and Rifle Championships to Cannock Leisure Centre, with Rugeley members volunteering as Range Officers and supporting match administration during the competition. British Shooting have returned to Cannock every year since. The Club has also supported the BS Target Sprint Series, the West Midlands leg being hosted at Burntwood Target Sprint.

Alongside these major events, the club has enjoyed hosting guest nights for diverse community groups, running an air rifle range at Brereton Carnival and serving as a venue for local groups including Viking re-enactors and 4×4 response.

Sporting Achievements

In competition, the club’s Air Rifle A-Team won Division 1 of the National League three consecutive years from 2018-2020, and again in 2022. Members have represented England, Wales and Great Britain, with recent sporting highlights including:

• Ryan Cockbill, 2024 Paralympian
• Megan Bamsey – represented GB at the ISSF 2023 Junior World Cup in Suhl & FISU World University Shooting Championships in New Delhi (9–13th Nov 2024)
• Olivia Beech – represented GB at the 2024 Nordic Championships & FISU World University Shooting Championships in New Delhi
• Helen Robinson – selected as Reserve to 2024 GB Drew Team.
• Martyn Buttery – captained GB Drew Team for 2023 & 24, appointed Adjutant for GB Dewar Team 2025 & 26.
• Richard Hemingway – Welsh 50M Rifle Champion 2023 & 2024, selected for GB 2024 Dewar Team.

Rugeley Rifle Club is just one of 262 local charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups to receive the prestigious award this year. The work of these organisations reminds us of all the ways fantastic volunteers are contributing to their local communities and working to make life better for those around them.

The King’s Award for Voluntary Service aims to recognise outstanding work by local volunteer groups to benefit their communities. It was created in 2002 to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee and, following his accession, His Majesty The King emphasised his desire to continue the Award.

Representatives from the club will receive the award crystal and certificate from Ian Dudson, Lord-Lieutenant of Staffordshire later this year. In addition, two volunteers from Rugeley Rifle Club will attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace in summer 2025, along with other recipients of this year’s Award.

Club Chairman Martyn Buttery said: “To be nominated for such a prestigious award as The Kings Award for Voluntary Service is an honour in itself but to actually win is such an incredible achievement. It goes to show what can be done and achieved with a positive attitude.“

Club President Olivia Lyons said: “I am was absolutely delighted to hear that Rugeley Rifle Club had been awarded a King’s Award, it is a real testament to the Club’s Committee and the  volunteers who work tirelessly to make it such a success. The Club is a real asset and hive of activity within our local community, supporting a number of local voluntary groups, hosting youth programs and nurturing the talent of the many Club members. The award is such a fantastic achievement, which will be shared and celebrated with our whole community.”

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