VOLUNTEERS who give their time to Northwood House and Park, have received the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service.

The award was presented by Lord Lieutenant Maj Gen Sir Martin White at Northwood House, Cowes, and was received by Roseleen Cullen, chairman of Northwood House Charitable Trust, on behalf of the volunteers.

The award recognises the huge effort put in by the volunteers who fundraise and maintain the house and park.

Since the trust took over the running of the house and park in 2010, the volunteers have raised more than £160,000 from fundraising activities, such as running cafes at community events at the venue.

In addition, volunteer gardeners, who work every Wednesday and Saturday in the park, have saved the trust around £250,000 in labour costs over the last eight years.

Roseleen said: "It is an honour and a privilege to receive this award on behalf of all of the volunteers of Northwood House Charitable Trust.

"We have a wonderful team of volunteers who turn up in all weather conditions to work in the park, we have volunteers who cook and serve in our cafes, volunteers who organise our car boot sales and those who help with administration and maintenance.

"We have a team working now to save and restore the tennis courts and volunteers who serve on our various committees and boards. We and the whole community are grateful to all of them for their time in helping to preserve this house and the park for us, our families and future generations."

The award is the highest award given to volunteer groups across the UK, and is the equivalent of an MBE.

If you are interested in helping at Northwood House, you can find out more at northwoodhouse.org.