FOUR Herefordshire groups have received The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service- the highest award a volunteer group can receive in the UK.

The Bodenham Flood Protection Group, Hope Support Services in Ross-on-Wye and Ross Juniors FC have all been recognised for their hard work.

Following floods in July 2007 when around 40 houses in Bodenham were damaged, the Bodenham Flood Protection Group was established to prevent a recurrence.

Chairman Tony Mitcheson said: “The award is a great honour which recognises all the time and hard work which the members of the group have devoted throughout the past seven years to reducing the flood risk for the residents of the parish, as well as assisting vulnerable members of the community who need help in preparing for, and dealing, with emergencies.

“We are all naturally delighted and it will encourage us all the more to continue with what we have begun.”

Ross Juniors FC started in 2004 and has grown to become the largest and most successful football club in south Herefordshire, catering for all age groups.

Since 2010 the club has taken a leading role in steering a Community Interest Group to take over the under-utilised Ross Sports Centre to create a hub for local football.

Chairman Jim Loftus said: “The QAVS is a fantastic achievement and recognition of the exceptional work of all of our volunteers.

“The club has a large and diverse group of volunteers. They are all enthusiastic and committed to the club’s vision of ‘football for all’. Without them there would be no Ross Juniors FC.”

Honorary patrons of the club, Paul Deneen OBE JP DL and Joyce Thomas MBE DL, praised the club for their hard work.

The club are due to host a celebratory event at The Royal Hotel on June 20 for all managers, coaches, sponsors and committee members.

Hope Support Services, a charity which supports young people when a close family member is diagnosed with a life threatening illness, has been honoured for the tireless work of their youth management teams and other volunteers.

Operations manager Clare Thomas said they are thrilled to have their volunteers recognised.

She thanked Mr Deneen and Mrs Thomas for putting the charity forward for the award and Russ Mellor from Pendeen Surgery, who supported the nomination.

They are three of 187 charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups to receive the prestigious award this year, which are announced on June 2 – the anniversary of the Queen’s Coronation.

Representatives from all the groups attended a garden party at Buckingham Palace and they will receive their award from Lady Darnley, the Lord Lieutenant of Herefordshire, later this year.

Also netting the Queen’s award is Paddy Brennan Boxing Academy and Fitness Centre in Bleathwood.

Mr Brennan says he’s knocked out by the honour.

He has developed the group beyond a boxing club to a community organisation that provides training and support for vulnerable young people.

“It has been only through hard work and painful effort, and with enormous effort and energy and resolute courage that we move on to better things,” said Mr Brennan, aged 53, a businessman and former international boxer.

‘The Boxing Club a most remarkable organisation, not only for what it delivers to local people but also for its outstanding achievements,’ states the citation from the Cabinet Office It is affiliated to the Amateur Boxing Association and has four dedicated and committed volunteers.

The citation praises the ‘exceptional leadership’ from Mr Brennan and his ‘excellent team of volunteers’.