School Aid presented with Queens Award for Voluntary Service
School Aid was greatly honoured to officially receive this award, presented by the Lord Lieutenant for Buckinghamshire, Sir Henry Aubrey-Fletcher on behalf of Her Majesty.
Hosted by Countess Howe, in the beautiful surroundings of her home at Penn House, Sir Henry presented the Chairman of School Aid, Janis Mowlam, and one of its volunteers, Moira Austin with a certificate signed by the Queen and the commemorative glass crystal presentation award.
Lady (Joy) Baker, Founder and President of School Aid, who was motivated to set up the charity in 1998 after a visit to an under-resourced school in Zimbabwe, welcomed the distinguished guests and friends of School Aid: The Rt Hon Sir Scott Baker; Prof Ruth Farwell, the High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire; Dr Sheena Dykes and Gillian Miscampbell of the Queen’s Award committee in Buckinghamshire; the Chairman of School Aid along with some former and present Trustees; plus many of the past and present volunteers who inspired the initial nomination.
Sir Henry Aubrey-Fletcher introduced the proceedings, giving a warm introduction to the mission of School Aid which is to give as many African children as possible an improved access to books and reading, an aim that would not be possible without the unrelenting dedication of its volunteers. Today they were recognised for their work and their role in everything that School Aid has achieved over the past 20 years.
Janis Mowlam, Chairman of School Aid said:
“Whilst this is very much an award that recognises community volunteering in the UK, School Aid wouldn’t want to miss this opportunity to celebrate every individual who gives us their time and their wealth of experiences, both UK-wide and in Africa. Our wonderful volunteers, wherever they are, make vital contributions across the organisation, and this award is as much a celebration of their hard work as it is of those who live close to our Hedgerley warehouse.
We are delighted to have won this award because it highlights how dependent School Aid is on its entire volunteer base, and the generosity of schools and businesses who also contribute to our cause. It just wouldn’t be possible to help so many African school children on a daily basis without the immense generosity of all our volunteers.“