Helping St Albans residents with lifts, shopping, odd jobs and befriending
St Albans Good Neighbour Scheme honoured with prestigious King’s Award for Voluntary Service
St Albans Good Neighbour Scheme is delighted and deeply honoured to announce that it has been awarded a King’s Award for Voluntary Service (KAVS) 2026, the highest award given to local voluntary groups in the UK.
Equivalent to an MBE, the King’s Award for Voluntary Service recognises outstanding work by volunteer groups that provides exceptional benefit to their local communities. The award feels particularly fitting for an organisation built on the contribution of individuals: people giving their time, skills and kindness, and together creating something far greater than any one person could achieve alone.
The award is made for life and represents a remarkable achievement for St Albans Good Neighbour Scheme and the generations of volunteers who have given their time, energy and kindness to support people across the city.
The charity describes what it does as “organised kindness”, with a simple but powerful ambition to make sure that “everyone in St Albans has someone to call.”
Entirely volunteer-run, St Albans Good Neighbour Scheme operates 365 days a year and supports residents of all ages and backgrounds who need a little additional help to remain connected, active and independent.
The Scheme provides trusted local volunteers to help people get to medical and social appointments, access food and shopping and receive support with practical household tasks. Its volunteers also provide regular companionship through befriending, helping people who might otherwise experience loneliness or isolation to maintain valuable connections within their community.
Whatever the request, the focus is on providing trusted, personal help from within the local community, enriching the lives of both clients and volunteers.
Jane B, Chair of St Albans Good Neighbour Scheme, said:
“We are absolutely delighted and incredibly honoured to receive the King’s Award for Voluntary Service. It is difficult to imagine a more meaningful recognition of everything our volunteers do for people across St Albans.
“There is something wonderfully fitting about the King’s Award emblem. It is made up of individual people, coming together to create something bigger. For me, that captures the St Albans Good Neighbour Scheme perfectly. So many different people play a part, in so many different ways, but together we make sure neighbours can be there for one another when it matters.
“During Covid, we all saw how powerful that instinct to look out for one another can be. But for the Good Neighbour Scheme, that spirit of neighbourliness is nothing new. For more than 45 years, we have provided a trusted and organised way of connecting people who need a little help with people who want to help. It is what we like to call ‘organised kindness’.
“This award belongs to everyone who has played a part in making that happen, past and present, and I could not be prouder of them.”
The King’s Award follows another significant milestone in the Scheme's history. In 2025, St Albans Good Neighbour Scheme celebrated its 45th anniversary, marking more than four decades of people giving their time to help others in their local community.
Remarkably, the charity still has a volunteer who has been involved since its very first year of operation, demonstrating the spirit and commitment that have sustained the Scheme for more than 45 years.
Although the needs of the community have changed during that time, the fundamental purpose of the Scheme has remained the same: ensuring that local people have somewhere to turn when they need practical help, companionship or simply a reassuring voice at the end of the telephone.
Patrick B, previous Chair and still a Trustee of St Albans Good Neighbour Scheme, said:
“Over more than 45 years, thousands of acts of kindness have helped make St Albans the community it is today. What began as a straightforward idea of local people supporting their neighbours has endured because of the extraordinary commitment and compassion of our volunteers.
“Having been involved with the Scheme for almost six years, I have seen first-hand the difference that this support can make, not only to the people who ask us for help, but also to the volunteers who give their time. There is something very special about people simply being there for one another.
“The King’s Award is a tremendous honour and a wonderful recognition for everyone who has contributed to the Scheme throughout its history. I hope it will also help introduce our work to even more people in St Albans and ensure that those who need us know that there really is someone they can call.”
Sue M, Trustee, said:
“In an increasingly automated world, there is something rather special about knowing that when you call St Albans Good Neighbour Scheme, a real person answers. Behind that phone call is a whole network of local people, each playing their part and ready to help in whatever way they can.
“What makes the Scheme so special is that people willingly give their time to help someone they may never have met before. Sometimes the need is very simple, perhaps a lift or a small job around the house. But finding someone you can trust to do those things safely isn’t always easy, particularly in a world where scams and doorstep fraud can make people understandably cautious. The Good Neighbour Scheme provides that trusted connection, bringing together people who need a little help with local people who are happy to give their time. To me, that is ‘organised kindness’ at its best.
“The things our volunteers do can seem very ordinary: answering a phone, giving someone a lift, doing a small job or simply spending time with someone. But sometimes the most ordinary act of kindness can make an extraordinary difference. Our job is to make sure that kindness is there when someone needs it.”
St Albans Good Neighbour Scheme is fully self-funded and makes no fixed charge for the help it provides. Instead, it relies solely on donations from those who are able to contribute, helping ensure that support is available to people who need it regardless of their circumstances.
Receiving the King’s Award for Voluntary Service provides an opportunity not only to celebrate the Scheme's achievements, but also to recognise the countless individual acts of kindness that have made those achievements possible.
St Albans Good Neighbour Scheme is actively looking for more volunteers. There are lots of rewarding ways to volunteer with St Albans Good Neighbour Scheme and make a real difference to people in the local community. Opportunities include giving someone a lift to a medical appointment or to see friends and family, befriending someone who may be lonely or isolated, helping with shopping, carrying out small jobs around the home or garden, or supporting the charity’s helpline from home. Volunteering is flexible, so you don’t need to commit to a fixed day or time, and training and support are provided. Sometimes something as simple as sharing a cup of tea, having a friendly chat or helping with an everyday task can make a huge difference to someone’s day.
