Mirfield in Bloom presented with the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service

The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service, which is equivalent to an MBE, was created in 2002 to celebrate the anniversary of the Queen’s coronation to recognise outstanding work carried out in communities.

The Bloom group, which was founded in 2017 by Ruth Edwards, is one of 244 local charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups to receive the prestigious award this year.

The award was presented by Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire, Ed Anderson, on Thursday, August 4.

He said: “It's a fantastic pleasure to be here to recognise the amazing work of Mirfield in Bloom.

“It really shone through that they were exceptional. It's not just about hanging baskets on lamp posts, it goes way beyond that, engendering a sense of pride in this town.

“A massive congratulations.

“Although I have handed the award to an individual, Ruth, the chair of the group, the award is for everybody who's associated with Mirfield in Bloom.

“You can see the pride and the joy that is evident today on this wonderful occasion.”

The group was nominated for the award by Rev Helen Butler, the assistant priest at Mirfield team parish.

Helen said: “For me it is all about the difference that they are making to Mirfield.

“It’s not about individuals, it is about pride in our town and that's the thing that will make it sustainable.

“It is about people investing in where they live and understanding that everyone can do something, however large or small.

“What we need to do now is to make sure that the next generation comes through to support that.”

As well as being presented with the Queens Award for Voluntary Service, Mayor Masood Ahmed also presented two certificates to recognise their hard work.

The first certificate was presented to Mirfield in Bloom in appreciation of their services to the people of Mirfield in “blooming” the town, and in recognition of their recent Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service

The second certificate was presented to Ruth in recognition of her award as a Platinum Champion for her work developing Mirfield in Bloom.

In his speech at the presentation, Coun Ahmed said: “Thank you for inviting me here today to see the great work that you do.

“I would like to present a certificate to Mirfield in Bloom for the work that you have done and being honoured with the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service.

“It is the highest award given to the UK volunteer group and is equivalent to an MBE.

“This is a massive achievement for everyone involved and it is one that I thought should be recognised.

“Congratulations for the award and keep up the magnificent work that you are all doing.”

The award will be on display at Mirfield Library on Huddersfield Road.