Melton groups celebrate being given Platinum Jubilee awards

Members of Melton Mowbray Lions Club pictured at the Melton Times Achievement Awards last year - the group has been given a Platinum Jubilee award

The Queen’s representative in Leicestershire has announced the 70 recipients of Platinum Jubilee awards to recognise their outstanding efforts to improve their local communities.

Among them are several with links to the Melton area and they will be presented with their award later this year by Mike Kapur, the Lord-Lieutenant of Leicestershire, or one of his Deputy Lieutenants.

The winners – including schools, businesses, voluntary and community groups – represent a year of Her Majesty’s reign.

Melton Mowbray Lions Club and Vale of Belvoir Lions, which both raise money for multiple local causes, are two of the groups honoured.

The Melton Lions co-ordinated the dozens of volunteers who ran the town’s Covid vaccination centre at Melton Sports Village during the pandemic.

Members also raise thousands of pounds every year for local causes with fundraisers like the Swimarathon at Waterfield Leisure Centre.

Club president, David Houghton, told the Melton Times: “We are well pleased to get this award from the Lord Lieutenant.

"We couldn’t have carried all the work at the vaccination centre without all the many volunteers who helped us from outside the club.

Some of the members of the Friends of The Bell community group

"The award will do the club a lot of good, it will give us greater exposure and enable us to hopefully help even more people in the community.”

Also celebrating are members of The Bell Inn Frisby Community Group, an organisation of villagers formed to buy their local pub as a community-run enterprise.

Borough councillor Ronan Browne, a villager at Frisby, described the group’s award as ‘great news’.

Mr Kapur said: “I would like to congratulate all the award winners and nominees.

"In recent times, we have experienced unprecedented and extraordinarily difficult times and yet throughout, it has been wonderful to see schools, businesses, volunteer and community groups across the city and county have remained unwavering in their commitment to making a big difference in their local communities.

“I'm delighted to shine a spotlight on the outstanding work that takes place and would like to thank everyone who took the time to make a nomination.”

Other award winners with a Melton link are: Age UK Leicestershire and Rutland; Girlguiding Leicestershire; Leicestershire Constabulary; Leicestershire Historic Churches Trust; Prince’s Trust, Leicestershire; Syston and District Volunteer Centre; Thrussington CE Primary School; VISTA; LOROS, the county hospice; and Rainbows Children’s Hospice.