Little Hiccups, a group of volunteers based in Leeds, have just been awarded The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service. This is the highest award a local voluntary group can receive in the UK and is equivalent to an MBE.
Little Hiccups is an award winning support group that has been set up by parents who have children with additional needs and disabilities. It is through personal experience we recognise the importance of allowing parents and families of a child with an additional needs/disability the opportunity to meet people in similar situations, to make friends and support each other. Little Hiccups can support families that have a child(ren) under 16 with additional needs or a disability.
We know that to every family that this is an individual journey but we also recognise the importance of sharing the events of that journey with other people in similar situations. We offer a range of support from our Outreach Programme for those families that are just not quite ready to come to one of our sessions. But for those that are, we offer a variety of support from Stay n Play to monthly Family Fun Days.
Little Hiccups is one of 244 local charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups to receive the prestigious award this year. Their work, along with others from across the UK, reminds us of all the ways in which fantastic volunteers are contributing to their local communities and working to make life better for those around them.
The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service aims to recognise outstanding work by local volunteer groups to benefit their communities. It was created in 2002 to celebrate The Queen’s Golden Jubilee. Recipients are announced each year on 2nd June, the anniversary of The Queen’s Coronation. Award winners this year are wonderfully diverse. They include volunteer groups from across the UK, including: a rural support group for farmers in Shropshire; a community magazine addressing isolation in the Western Isles; a running club engaging all ages in County Tyrone; a film academy and community hub based in South Wales, and a food bank in Greater London feeding vulnerable individuals and providing training opportunities.
6 Representatives of Little Hiccups will receive the award crystal and certificate from Ed Anderson, Lord-Lieutenant of West Yorkshire, later this summer. In addition, two volunteers from Little Hiccups will attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace in May 2023 (depending on restrictions at the time), along with other recipients of this year’s Award.
Little Hiccups Founder, Lindsay Medica, says: “I am so incredibly proud of our Hiccups Team and am excited and very honoured to have received this award. A huge thank you to all our volunteers and their dedication and of course to the wonderful families that support us.“
