Chats’ honour with top Queens award

By Robin Jones

CHATHAM Town have been given a double reason to celebrate in the year of The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

Gaining promotion to the Isthmian League after coming second in the South West Counties Premier Division has been followed this week by winning The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service.

It is the highest award a local voluntary group can receive in the UK and is equivalent to getting an MBE.

The award recognises outstanding work by local volunteer groups to benefit their communities. It was created in 2002 to celebrate the Queen’s Golden Jubilee.

A club statement said:

“Chatham Town is a club with community at its heartbeat. Together we have done some fantastic work in the community of Medway and we’re honoured to announce we are recipients of the award.”

Chatham work extremely closely with their local community, offering free fitness sessions at the Bauvill Stadium as well as in local schools and parks, and even in local residents’ homes. The club believes that this helps address issues such as the need to improve physical fitness and mental wellbeing, plus obesity, poverty and social inclusion.

On July 4 last year, the club in partnership with construction firm Bauvill hosted a family fun day and charity football match with celebrities to thank staff at Medway Maritime Hospital in Gillingham for their tireless work during the Covid-19 pandemic, and raised £6650 for Medway NHS Foundation Trust

Nigel Huddleston, the Minister for Civil Society and Youth, said: “Our volunteers give up their time to help others and The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service recognises their selfless acts of generosity and kindness.”