Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service presentation to the Somerset mentoring charity PROMISEworks by Lord-Lieutenant of Somerset Mrs Anne Maw CVO CStJ

Sunday 23 October 2022

Mrs Annie Maw, Cllr Tessa Munt, and the Mayors of Glastonbury and of Wells came together yesterday to congratulate PROMISEworks on the award of the QAVS, the highest award nationally for volunteers, equivalent to the MBE. The Award was received by Chair, Robert Peto and Deputy Chair, Kev O’Donnell along with over 50 volunteer mentors.

Presenting the Award, one of her final duties as Lord-Lieutenant, Mrs Maw said:

“I am presenting this award on behalf of, now, His Majesty to an important group of people looking after our young who are, after all, our future. This is a serious duty for me but also a privilege and an honour”

In receiving the Award, Robert Peto said:

“A massive thank you to Annie and her team for supporting PROMISEworks and recognising the commitment of all our volunteers. We are one of only 2 charities in Somerset chosen to receive the QAVS in 2022”

The award is a crystal obelisk supported by a citation signed by the late Queen Elizabeth II, one of the final awards given during her reign.

Cllr Munt said:

“I salute all you volunteers who provide an amazing service to support families across Somerset, a service unique to Somerset. I am very grateful for all you do to help our young people.”

The celebration was generously supported by Wraxall Vineyard & Figs Catering.  https://wraxallvineyard.co.uk/  https://figscatering.net/.

The QAVS recognises the exceptional commitment of our volunteers who provide one to one support to children and young people across our county of Somerset. It 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 Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service was created in 2002 to celebrate The Queen’s Golden Jubilee.

For further information contact

Penny Evans 07928 102836  penny.evans@PROMISEworks.org.uk or

Ali Hart PROMISEworks General Manager 07516 846224 ali.hart@PROMISEworks.org.uk

Notes to Editors:

PROMISEworks recruits, trains and supports volunteers, to provide one-to-one mentoring to improve the mental health and well-being of some of Somerset’s most vulnerable young people, aged from 5 to 25.

It receives referrals from schools, other professional agencies and voluntary groups, and for a variety of reasons: abuse or neglect; mental or physical health problems; families where parental struggles are impacting on well-being.

Through a long-term, trusting relationship with an adult, a young person can develop resilience, self-esteem, and emotional well-being to help each “build a life that works”. The PROMISE is for the mentor to remain alongside the young person for at least 2 years, becoming a source of support that has been missing in a turbulent life. Trusting others is often difficult for our young people, given a range of difficult early life experiences 130 young people across Somerset currently have a PROMISEworks mentor. However, the COVID crisis has worsened outcomes for many vulnerable families, and PROMISEworks has had double the normal rate of referrals, leaving us with a waiting list of almost 300.

It costs PROMISEworks around £2,000 a year to support a mentor to help a vulnerable young person.

Anyone interested in becoming a volunteer mentor or in supporting the work we do should visit our website or contact PROMISEworks on 0300 3651 900