Bramham given Queen’s Award

Bramham has been awarded the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service for residents’ community work.

The announcement, in the London Gazette this week, sees the village as one of only four West Yorkshire groups to receive the honour this year.

Resident Alison Mackie applied for the award to reward village volunteers, along with the Duke of York Community Initiative which they recently won.

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“I was advised it would be difficult to achieve the Queens honours with our first application so imagine the excitement when we got the successful news that we were to receive not just one but both of these awards,” said Alison.

“Bramham is described by residents as a thriving village and extremely vibrant place to live.

“The reason for this is down to the commitment and hardwork of many people living in the village who are prepared to give up their precious time, volunteering to make things happen within the village.

Volunteers never want or expect any thank you or praise but I decided to explore whether their work was worthy of some special recognition.”

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Alison had particular praise for Chris and Mick Wray, Christine and Ian Dalton and Keith and Vicky Innocent for their personal achievement and contribution to achieving the award.

“Their exceptional hardwork and years of dedication, together with many other wonderful volunteers from the village, enabled Bramham Village Hall and Community Action Group be recognised for the incredible difference they have made to the village of Bramham.

“A huge thank you goes to all the volunteers who contributed to our village achieving this status. All the residents knew it was a great place to live and The Queen thinks so too.”

The Duke of York Community Initiative was awarded to Chris and Mick Wray and Christine and Ian Dalton for having the vision to transform the village hall from a dilapidated village asset into a thriving hub of activity, including completing much of the work themselves.

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Ian Dalton and Mick Wray initiated the renovation of a cottage, attached to the village hall and they spent many weekends working on the building. It now provides an affordable home for a young family and an income for the village.

Christine and Mick Wray attended Catterick Garrison in April to receive this award at a ceremony hosted by the Duke of York.

The six volunteers play a role within many aspects of village life including Parish Council positions, Bramham Village Hall Management Committee, Bramham Drama Group, Bramham in Bloom, Bramham Community Action Group to name a few.