Quorn Community Library receives The King’s Award for Voluntary Service.

The volunteers running the Community Library in the Leicestershire village of Quorn have been awarded The King’s Award for Voluntary Service for 2024. This is the highest award a local voluntary group can receive in the UK and is equivalent to an MBE.

The volunteers came together in 2015 to save the small village library from closure. After 18 months in temporary accommodation, the group opened the library in the newly refurbished Old School owned by the Parish Council. Over the years some 80 volunteers have developed the library into a community hub offering more than just books. Activities regularly meet the needs of all ages and interests, taking place both in the library and in the wider community.

The King’s Award for Voluntary Service aims to recognise outstanding work by local volunteer groups to support their communities. It was created in 2002 to celebrate Her Majesty The late Queen’s Golden Jubilee, and was continued following the accession of His Majesty The King. 2024 marks the second year of The King’s Award for Voluntary Service. Recipients are announced annually on 14th November, The King’s Birthday.

Quorn Community Library is one of 281 local charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups to receive the prestigious award this year. Representatives of the library will receive the award crystal and certificate from Michael Kapur OBE, Lord-Lieutenant of Leicestershire.

In addition, two volunteers from Quorn Library will attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace in 2025, along with other recipients of this year’s Award.

One of the founding volunteers, Olwen Jones, said: “The whole team is delighted that our work has been recognised. From humble beginnings our village library has become a destination for our wider community. And it’s all down to the hard work and commitment of our volunteers.“

“The 500 Words Short Story Competition organised by Quorn Community Library & sponsored by Village Life.

There was never a guarantee that the readers of Village Life would respond to our call for submissions, but respond you certainly did. We had more entries than we ever anticipated and their quality was without exception, remarkably high. 

Thanks must go to Roy Jones for suggesting that Village Life feature locally written fiction and to Kevan (Porter) for taking up Roy’s idea and, by turn, inviting the library to be involved.  That was an offer we couldn’t refuse and I was thrilled to be able to take the lead on behalf of the library.

Michael Coxon“

Here are the winners (use the links to read the prize-winning entries):

Adult category

Chris Moody – The Windary Beast

Under 12 Category joint winners:

Milo Noctor ( aged 8) – The Kindness of Strangers

Freddie Thompson (aged 9) – The Man Who Fell