On behalf of Her Majesty The Queen, The Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London, Sir Kenneth Olisa OBE officially presented the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service to fifteen voluntary groups including the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans, at Westminster Abbey
On 27 September, Taxi Charity volunteers Ian Parsons and Dick Goodwin, attended an Honours and Awards Presentation at Westminster Abbey to officially receive the prestigious Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service (QAVS).
The Taxi Charity had been notified on the 2 June, that it had been awarded the QAVS, the highest prize given to local volunteer groups and widely regarded as the equivalent of an MBE for volunteers.
Today the charity was delighted to receive the QAVS crystal from the Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London, Sir Kenneth Olisa OBE on behalf of Her Majesty The Queen.
Ian Parsons, London Cabbie and Chairman, Taxi Charity for Military Veterans, said, “This morning’s Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service presentation at Westminster Abbey was a very proud moment for our charity and trade. As a London cabbie, I was deeply honoured to receive the Award on behalf of the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans. I am fully aware it is thanks to the efforts of all those who have supported our wonderful charity since its modest beginnings in 1948 which made this possible, and I would like to take the opportunity today to pay tribute to all concerned.”
To find out more about the support the Taxi Charity offers veterans visit www.taxicharity.org
About the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service
The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service (QAVS) is the highest award given to local volunteer groups across the UK. It was created in 2002 to celebrate the anniversary of the Queen’s Coronation. It is the MBE for volunteer groups and is awarded for life. It is awarded to outstanding groups of volunteers whose level of initiative and impact are truly exceptional. Each group is assessed on the benefit it brings to the local community and its standing within that community.
About the Taxi Charity
The Taxi Charity is run by volunteer London black taxi drivers and has been supporting thousands of veterans of all ages since 1948. The charity arranges free trips to the Netherlands, Belgium, and France, for acts of commemoration and days out to museums, concerts, or fundraising events in the UK, to catch up with friends and comrades.
The Charity worked tirelessly during the pandemic to ensure veterans received regular contact by sending out a greeting card each month, gifts to mark the 75th anniversaries of VE and VJ day, stockings at Christmas and arranging Guards of Honour at veterans’ funerals. Volunteers have also helped with regular phone calls, food shopping, transport to hospital appointments, and more recently taking veterans for their Coronavirus injections.
The charity was awarded the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in June 2021.
To fund and facilitate their work, the charity is reliant on generous donations from members of the public, businesses, and trusts.
