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Queen’s Thank You for Aberdeen’s Unsung Heroes

The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service has been won by Aberdeen’s only and Scotland’s oldest befriending organisation for children, Befriend a Child. The Award, given to only 13 Scottish organisations, recognises the unsung heroes who help Befriend a Child turn a frown upside down for over 100 of Aberdeen’s most disadvantaged and isolated children.

In a letter to the Organisation, First Minister Jack McConnell said “The success of your team is a significant achievement and testimony to the quality of work you carry out. You make such a difference to the lives of people who rely on the services provided and, in undertaking such selfless tasks, are an example to everyone”.

Befriend a Child Chief Executive, Karen Farquhar said: “We are delighted to have this recognition for the work of our volunteers. This is the pinnacle of over 30 years work for the children of Aberdeen. We are thrilled to receive a reward of this calibre”.

Befriend a Child was one of only 104 organisations to win an Award across the UK in 2008. The Award recognises excellence in voluntary activities and is only given to those groups where volunteers are judged to have regularly devoted time to providing an outstanding level of help to other people. The Award was created in 2002 to mark Her Majesty’s Golden Jubilee.

A certificate signed by Her Majesty and a commemorative crystal were presented to Befriend a Child by The Lord-Lieutenant of Aberdeen on behalf of the Queen while representatives of the Organisation attended a Garden Party at the Palace of Holyrood House.