A new awards programme, the Coronation Champions Awards, has been launched by Royal Voluntary Service with the support of Her Majesty The Queen Consort, to celebrate extraordinary volunteers.

The national volunteering charity is encouraging people to nominate the volunteers in their lives who they believe deserve to be honoured with a Coronation Champions Award. The awards programme is an opportunity for exceptional people in all corners of the UK to be recognised and thanked for the volunteering work they do to support their communities, as part of the Coronation.

Royal Voluntary Service is looking for volunteer nominations in eight award categories, including: supporting older people; supporting young people and children; crisis and welfare; community; sports, culture, and heritage; health and care; sustainability and the environment; and animal welfare.

People are encouraged to nominate volunteers who have been having a positive impact on their communities within the last five years. Nominations will be judged by an expert panel that will be looking for volunteers who take initiative, inspire others and are frequently involved in volunteering. Judges stress that a nominee doesn’t have to volunteer formally with a charity or organisation but can also lend a hand informally in their community.

Her Majesty The Queen Consort said: “I am delighted to be launching the Coronation Champions Awards with the Royal Voluntary Service, to shine a light on the herculean efforts of our nation’s volunteers.  Up and down the country, millions of unsung heroes are contributing to their local communities, giving generously of their time and their talents to enhance the lives of others.   

“If you know a volunteer who is making a difference, please be sure to share their story.  We would love to hear about them!”

 A total of 500 volunteers will be selected as the nation’s Coronation Champions and will receive a specially designed, official Coronation Champions pin and a certificate signed by Her Majesty The Queen Consort. The awards also present a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for volunteers whose nominations are successful, as all 500 Coronation Champions will be invited to attend one of the official Coronation celebrations, such as the Windsor Castle Coronation Concert or a Coronation Garden Party.

To celebrate and inspire the next generation of volunteers in particular, nominations are open to people aged 14 and over, with judges on the lookout to recognise rising stars in volunteering and ‘Young Coronation Champions’ (aged 14-18).

Rising Star

One such rising star nominated for an award is Blessing Itungaa, a 16-year-old Youth Champion volunteer with Project Zero Walthamstow. Project Zero is an organisation dedicated to engaging young people in positive activities to promote social inclusion, reduce anti-social behaviour and to strengthen community cohesion.

Blessing discovered Project Zero and volunteered when she was just 13. And despite now being a college student with a busy social life, Blessing is so passionate about her role that she finds time to volunteer at least once or twice a week, and even daily during school holidays.

Blessing said: “I started at Project Zero when I was 13. I just thought I’d come along to see what it was about and I quickly fell in love with it. It represents the things that I stand for. I have younger siblings and I want them to be a part of a community that has opportunities for them, and that is a safe place for them to grow up.

“I do a lot of different things to help out the staff and the young people. I help the staff by running activities, or even helping to create new activities, and generally giving an extra hand. I’m also there to give guidance to the young people that come along to our youth club, events and workshops.

“I love taking part in projects that will have a positive impact on our community. As a Youth Champion I’ve met the Mayor of Walthamstow and local politicians. I’ve been involved in conversations where I can share my input as a young person in our community, and it’s nice to know that I’m part of a bigger project that will help other young people in the future.

“It feels really good to be recognised for the work I do, and I felt really proud when Steve said he was nominating me for a Coronation Champions Award. To me, I just love what I do and it’s part of my routine now, but it’s so good to know that people see it as something amazing.

“I am proud that I am accomplishing things at a young age. I used to be shy and timid and now I’ve learnt all these skills, and my public speaking and confidence have changed drastically. I’ve struggled with my self-worth before, and working with Project Zero and being recognised has really helped with that. It motivates me to continue to contribute and to do even more.”

Project Founder

Blessing was nominated by Project Zero founder, Steve Barnabis. Steve was honoured with his own accolade last year, when Royal Voluntary Service delivered the Platinum Champions Awards to honour volunteers as part of Queen Elizabeth II’s Jubilee.

Steve founded Project Zero in 2019 after losing two young family members to violent crime. The title of the organisation comes from Steve’s goal of seeing a year when there has been zero deaths of a young person from knife or a violent crime.

Steve said: “It was a great honour to receive a Platinum Champions Award, and to meet Her Majesty. For me, you don’t do it for recognition, but when it happens, it’s a really good thing.

“I wanted to pass on that good feeling to Blessing. She was ecstatic and over the moon when I told her I was nominating her. But she absolutely deserves it, she’s an amazing Youth Champion. Blessing is always there when we need her and we know we can count on her for anything. Even when she’s going through things of her own, she’s still able to rise above.

“She’s also a really good role model. Last year Blessing and some of our Youth Champions did a recruitment drive that brought onboard 20 new people, by talking about what they do and inspiring them. It was just incredible.

“There’s often so much negativity out there, that programmes like the Coronation Champions Awards which celebrate and acknowledge people and use them as good examples, are really needed. Especially for young people who unfortunately can get a lot of negative press, when we can talk about how inspirational they are and the good things they can achieve, that’s much better for everyone.”

The Voice readers are encouraged to nominate volunteers who are making a difference in their communities, online at: www.royalvoluntaryservice.org.uk/coronation-champions-awards

Nominations close at 23:59 Sunday 2^nd of April.

Royal Voluntary Service is immensely grateful for the generous support of our brand partners Simplyhealth, for supporting the Health and Care category, Sky through its Sky Cares programme, for supporting the Community category and Petplan, for supporting the Animal Welfare category