This year two groups of Island volunteers have been honoured with The King’s Award for Voluntary Service (KAVS); this is the highest award that a voluntary group can receive in the UK and is the equivalent of an individual being awarded an MBE.
The Isle of Wight Literary Festival has been recognised for its contribution to the education, cultural life and wellbeing of the community. Organised and stewarded entirely by volunteers, over 2000 visitors attend 50 lectures over a four-day period each autumn. Those attending are given a great opportunity to study new areas of learning and to broaden their
reading. The festival also supports a Schools’ Programme, which takes authors, illustrators, poets, and story tellers into schools to educate, entertain and inspire pupils. This year over 3000 pupils benefitted from the programme. Maggie Ankers, chair of trustees said: ‘It is an honour to receive this prestigious award, which recognises and celebrates the enormous amount of work done by our volunteers to create this outstanding cultural event.’
Also recognised this year is the Sandown and Shanklin Independent Lifeboat (SSILB), which has existed in its current form for over thirty years, though the history of an independent lifeboat on the Island goes back to 1868, when Sunday School children raised £168 to buy our first boat. The lifeboat is called out some 40 times a year, thereby alleviating distress
and saving dozens of lives at sea. The SSILB also benefits the tourist economy by providing safe beaches for holiday visitors and supports the community by educating young people about safety at sea. This charity receives no central funding and is entirely responsible for raising its own funds. Mark Birch lifeboat coxswain said: ‘We are truly honoured to receive
this award; it means so much to us and recognises the hard work of the crew and fundraisers over the years. This is the best accolade we could have wished for.’
