Blackpool's tram volunteers win country's top award

Blackpool Heritage Tram Tours, part of Blackpool Transport Services, have been honoured with the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service.

The award aims to recognise outstanding work by volunteer groups to benefit their local communities.

It was created in 2002 to celebrate the Queen’s Golden Jubilee. Recipients are announced each year on June 2, the anniversary of the Queen’s Coronation.

Blackpool Heritage Tram Tours is one of 230 charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups to receive the award this year.

They include volunteer groups from across the UK, including a community shop in Cornwall, an environmental group in Swansea, a group working with refugees and vulnerable people in Stirling and a thriving community arts centre in County Down.

Blackpool Transport said the volunteers enable the protection, conservation and operation of the fleet of vintage tramcars on the tramway for which they were built (one of only two tramways in the world to operate double-deck trams), thereby widening public access to a rich part of the nation’s heritage.

It added that in doing so, they are developing a wide variety of skills, creating a major contribution to the welfare of their local community and fulfilling the purposes of wellbeing, learning and education.

Representatives of Blackpool Heritage Tram Tours will receive the award later this summer and as a special treat, two volunteers will go to a garden party at Buckingham Palace in May 2021, along with other recipients of this year’s award.

Head of Heritage, Bryan Lindop said: “Having worked with this remarkable and talented group of volunteers now for over five years, it fills me with great pride to see them achieve this pinnacle of national recognition. It takes a lot of dedication, commitment, sheer grit and determination to maintain the high standard of excellence that they have become renowned for.

"The volunteers, the community that they serve and indeed the nations heritage adoring public who come to Blackpool to benefit from the sheer feel good factor that the heritage tram tours create are inspiring new generations to cherish and appreciate their heritage; to participate in something culturally unique and life affirming, and by doing so, ensuring that future generations will be able to continue to enjoy this inspiring public amenity.”

Any group of two or more people that has participated in voluntary work for more than three years can be nominated for the Queen's Award. Full details on how to nominate are available at ​https://qavs.culture.gov.uk/

Nominations for the 2021 awards close on September 25.