Back in June, Kids Love Clothes was honoured, among 281 across the country, to receive the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service 2019.

On Saturday, 26 October, Deputy Lieutenant Elaine Aitken presented us, on behalf of ALL our volunteers, with the certificate signed by the Queen, and the award itself (a nice piece of fancy glass!). Held at the Douglas Hall, St Mary’s, Dalmahoy, this milestone event in our charity’s lifetime was a great way to spend time with around 50 of our volunteers.We so happy to be able to share this special day with you, without whom we would not be able to continue our valued work across the Lothians. Some people even donated baking – there was A LOT of chocolate cake!

This is the highest honour available to a voluntary group – equivalent to an individual receiving an MBE. So, no mean feat! It’s testament to the hard work by ALL our army of volunteers, across Edinburgh and the Lothians. The sorting teams. The drop-off points. Our iron maidens and ironmen. The delivery drivers. The referrers. The parents and carers donating the clothes in the first place. The schools, businesses and communities collecting in clothes. The supporters who donate money, helping us keep the lights on and fuel in the van.

This award is for YOU.

Big thanks to Niels of Blue Sky Photography for taking a smart photo of us, at such short notice!