On 23rd November 2021 Lord Lieutenant Lady Haughey CBE hosted a lunch at the Radstone Hotel , Larkhall , and presented the Lanarkshire Branch of the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA ) with the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service (QAVS) which had been awarded to the organisation in June 2020.
The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service 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 2nd June, the anniversary of the Queen’s Coronation.
The lunch was attended by volunteers who have worked with SSAFA over many years providing invaluable assistance and support to our armed forces personnel , veterans and their families .Each volunteer was presented with a small replica of the Crystal Award which had been earlier passed over by the Lord Lieutenant, along with a certificate signed by Her Majesty the Queen , to longserving Chairman David McAllister MBE .
Former Armed Forces Minister Rt. Hon Adam Ingram was also present and paid tribute to the tremendous work of SSAFA, which in a ten year period , secured over £2.2m in grants from service funds and charities and in so doing helped over 1,700 individuals and their families .
Colonel David Cranstoun DL delivered a Vote of Thanks to close what was a memorable and thoroughly enjoyable afternoon for all present .
Congratulations once again to SSAFA Lanarkshire for this very well deserved recognition .
Photo below is of the Top Table at the lunch , Lord Lieutenant Lady Haughey CBE seated centre , with SSAFA Lanarkshire Chair David McAllister MBE (left) and the Rt. Hon Adam Ingram (right).
