Tuesday 27th November | The Lord-Lieutenants Awards are undoubtedly the highlight of our year here at SERFCA and as another season comes to a close, we reflect on the wonderful award recipients and Cadets who demonstrate the volunteer ethos. It is also an opportunity for us to build and nurture the enduring relationships that are so important to the local communities.
His Majesty Lord-Lieutenant’s Certificates for Meritorious Service were instituted to afford public recognition to those members of the Reserve and Cadet Forces whose efforts are not recognised by the twice-yearly Honours Lists. This year, the awards recognised individuals such as Private Tom Bullock from 4th Battalion The Princess of Wales’ Royal Regiment, who recently completed a 12 month mobilisation training Ukrainian military personnel under Operation Interflex. A cornerstone of the unit, he has used his skills to mentor a number of officers and non-commissioned officers.
The Lord-Lieutenants from each county presented many additional awards too, including Deputy Lieutenant Commissions, British Empire Medals, Cadet Vocational College Recognitions of Achievement, Cadet Force Medals, the Irlam Trophy, the Best Tri-Service Cadet and a Volunteer Reserves Service Medal (VRSM).
Lt Col (Retd) Rod Gray MBE, Head of Cadets and Youth at SERFCA, said “This was my first Lord-Lieutenant’s Awards covering the counties of Kent, Surrey and Sussex. It was a great honour and privilege to celebrate and read citations to recognise the amazing work of our inspirational Reservists, Volunteers and Cadets. Our Reservists, Volunteers and Cadets are a credit to themselves, their families, their units and society in general. The most humbling of experiences”.
At each ceremony we also award the Best Reservist award, which is given to the Reservist, from any of the three services, considered by the selection board to have achieved the most or to have made the greatest contribution to the Reserves during the year. These awards are kindly sponsored by a company from each county who advocate support to defence and the armed forces community and hold either Gold or Silver Employer Recognition Scheme Award.
The Lord-Lieutenants also appoint a number of Cadets from the Combined Cadet Force and each of the community Cadet forces to support them on official engagements over the coming year. The appointment marks the achievement of outstanding service by an individual to their Cadet movement, such as Cadet Sergeant Sudiksha Dixit from Reading School Combined Cadet Force who developed the learning package for Year 10 cadets, greatly enhancing engagement, training, delivery and retention at her contingent. The Cadets are also exemplary role models in their local communities, like Cadet Inspector Maddie Warnock from Dover Volunteer Police Cadets. A cancer survivor herself, Maddie’s experiences have driven her commitment to helping others and she has raised £3,000 for her local children’s ward at the Royal Marsden Hospital by walking Hadrian’s Wall
The ceremonies would not be possible however, without the support of the fabulous venues for each county. We were fortunate to go to a number of exciting new locations this year, with Abingdon School for Oxfordshire, Lord Wandsworth College for Hampshire and 1 Royal School of Military Engineering (1RSME), Brompton Barracks for Kent. It was a privilege to return to at The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst for both the Royal County of Berkshire and Surrey awards in the historical setting of the Indian Army Room within Old College, as well as Lancing College for the counties of East and west Sussex.
To summarise, Group Captain Keith Lane RAF (Retd), Chief of Staff & Head of Engagement at SERFCA, said: “2024 has been a bumper year for the Lord-Lieutenant’s awards. More recipients, larger audiences but most importantly, recognition for outstanding individuals who embody all that is positive about the volunteering ethos. It is an absolute pleasure for SERFCA to organise and host these events on behalf of our Lord-Lieutenants and we offer our unconditional congratulations to all the award winners and Lord-Lieutenant’s cadets.”
The Lord-Lieutenant awards ceremony is a formal and prestigious event; recognising individuals who demonstrate the volunteer ethos and to build and nurture the enduring relationships that are so important to your County and local community. This is done through the awarding of Medals and His Majesty Lord-Lieutenant’s Certificates for Meritorious Service, amongst other awards. His Majesty Lord-Lieutenant’s Certificates for Meritorious Service were instituted in order to afford public recognition to those members of the Reserve and Cadet Forces whose efforts are not recognised by the twice yearly Honours Lists.
To see more pictures from each of the award ceremonies this year, please follow the link below: