It is with deep sorrow that the Friends mark the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. In 2005, The Friends were honoured to be recognised and receive The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service, the highest award given to voluntary groups across the UK. The award recognises exceptional work done by voluntary groups in their communities. As a result, some of the group attended the royal garden party. It is clear that Her Majesty valued the hard work of volunteers across the country, supporting large and small organisations alike. The Queen's Award, patronage, and messages of thanks were just some of the ways Her Majesty supported voluntary organisations. In 2020 for Volunteers Week, Her Majesty followed with interest the great work that volunteers do around the world which was shared by the Royal Family Twitter account using the Volunteers Week hashtag, distributing the message to thousands of people of how inspiring their dedication to volunteering was to The Queen. Her Majesty will be greatly missed and our thoughts and condolences are with the Royal Family during this difficult time. The Friends currently have a Book of Condolence for anybody to leave a message in, which is available to sign every Wednesday, 10am - 12.30pm, until the end of September. On Monday 19th September, the gates and Peace Garden will be opened and closed as usual, but times may differ depending on volunteer availability.
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