Queen's Award given to volunteer groups
Three volunteering groups from the Yorkshire and Humber region have been named recipients of the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service for 2011.
Among the winning groups are Humber Rescue, which provides fast-response lifeboat cover on the Humber Estuary.
Hull Kung Fu, which helps children develop through self-defence and career development, also received the award.
In South Yorkshire the Friends of Sandall Park has been honoured for its regeneration of a Doncaster urban park.
The Queen's Award is known as the MBE for volunteering groups.
The honour recognises the outstanding contribution made by volunteers to their local communities, with the work of those awarded being judged to be of the highest standard.
The winners were selected from 413 groups nominated by members of the public who have been helped personally or witnessed the benefits of a group's work in their community.
They will receive a certificate signed by the Queen and a commemorative crystal, presented by Her Majesty's Lord Lieutenants in the counties at special ceremonies.
The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service Award Committee chairman, former broadcast journalist Martyn Lewis, said: "Volunteer groups make such an important contribution to their communities, often without praise for the incredible job they do.
"In these difficult times their efforts are even more valuable."