Queen salutes Atherstone group which brings women left on the margins to the front

HIGHEST VOLUNTARY SERVICE ACCOLADE TO OWEN STREET-BASED COHORT 4 FOR ITS PEER SUPPORT AND MENTORING

PRAISE FROM LORD LIEUTENANT OF WARWICKSHIRE FOR 'EXEMPLARY WORK IN A THRIVING AND ROBUST SECTOR'

AN ATHERSTONE group of "wonderful" women have won royal recognition for their work with some of the most marginalised females in the community.

Cohort 4 has been honoured with the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service – the highest accolade achievable and seen as the equivalent of an MBE.

The group, based at The Presbytery in Owen Street, is a peer support organisation helping women survivors of abuse, those with mental ill health, convictions, disabilities and other isolating factors across our area.

The announcement comes in National Volunteers Week, which finishes on Sunday.

Run mainly by volunteers from the town, North Warwickshire, Nuneaton and Tamworth, it offers a long-term social space, support and source of encouragement to women who themselves choose what they need to enhance their lives and wellbeing.

On hearing the news, Cohort 4 founding director Beverley Gilbert said: "It certainly is a great honour to receive the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service.

"Running and sustaining a community group is a challenge.

"But we have been fortunate to have formed a wonderful group of women who have come together over the years to offer peer support, peer mentoring and social support for some of the most marginalised women in our community."

The group head paid tribute to the "thousands of hours hard work and commitment of our volunteers" since the organisation started in 2014.

And she went on thank not only those who nominated the group for the award but "individuals and charitable funding organisations who have believed in the group and have solidly championed our work over the past six years".

She added: "We are independent from statutory organisations and are overwhelmed by the support we receive from the community, voluntary and social enterprise sectors."

Women volunteering their time at Cohort 4 include experts and practitioners from the fields of domestic and sexual violence, safeguarding, mental health and social work.

Volunteers also come from backgrounds in nursing, counselling, teaching and even podiatry – coming together to form a supportive and safe social support environment for women.

Representatives of Cohort 4 – with principal lecturer and founder and previous director of the National Centre for the Study and Prevention of Violence and Abuse Dr Ruth Jones as its patron – will receive the award from Lord Lieutenant of Warwickshire Tim Cox later this summer.

Two volunteers from Cohort 4 will also be chosen to attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace in May 2021, along with other recipients of this year's award.

Mr Cox said he was delighted Cohort 4 has won royal approval for its "exemplary" voluntary work.

He added: "At this very difficult time it is important to recognise those who selflessly work to improve the lives of others.

"I hope that we will see more voluntary groups nominated for this award in the future.

"In Warwickshire we have a thriving and robust voluntary sector and we need to continue to celebrate and praise their work."

Cohort 4 is one of 230 charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups in the country to receive the prestigious award this year.

The number of nominations has increased year on year, showing that the voluntary sector is thriving and full of innovative ideas to make life better for those around them.

The QAVS aims to recognise outstanding work by volunteer groups to benefit their local communities.

It was created in 2002 to celebrate the Queen's golden jubilee. Recipients are announced each year on the anniversary of the Queen's coronation in 1953.

Award winners this year include a community shop in Cornwall, an environmental group in Swansea, a group working with refugees and vulnerable people in Stirling and a thriving community arts centre in County Down, Northern Ireland.

Meanwhile, on the continuing theme of National Volunteers Week, Warwickshire police and crime commissioner Philip Seccombe has added his thanks to all those who give of their time to support policing.

Volunteers work across a whole host of areas in policing in the county – from special constables and cadet leaders, to community speed-watch volunteers, police support volunteers and many more.

They all work so hard to address the issues that matter most to our local communities, said Mr Seccombe.

From April 2019 to March 2020, volunteers contributed an astonishing 34,677 hours to the force.

And many of them have been to the fore during the Covid-19 pandemic, giving more of their time to ensure communities are supported.

During the lockdown period alone, the Special Constabulary has logged more than 6,000 hours in Warwickshire, with 11 specials completing over 200 hours each.