These are the West Sussex organisations that have received the King's Award for Voluntary Service 2026
Four voluntary organisations in West Sussex have been honoured with The King’s Award for Voluntary Service, the highest award a voluntary group can receive in the UK, and regarded as the equivalent of an MBE.
In a statement issued at 9am on Saturday, November 14, 2026, the office of the Lord-Lieutenant of West Sussex gave details of the four West Sussex Awards.
The statement said the successful groups were the Pregnancy Options Centre, The Horsham and Shipley Community Project, Pulborough and District Community Care Association, and Refugees Welcome Crawley.
It gave these details about each of the four:
The Pregnancy Options Centre in Chichester offers support for unplanned pregnancy and pregnancy loss as well as equipping the next generation on matters surrounding healthy sex and relationships.
The group’s vision is that no one has to face crisis pregnancy, post-abortion or pregnancy loss alone. Pregnancy Options Centre provides a range of high-quality support programmes to anyone who is struggling as a result of an unplanned pregnancy, an abortion decision or pregnancy loss including miscarriage, stillbirth, ectopic pregnancy and termination for medical reasons.
The group aims to see all clients facing an unplanned pregnancy within 48 hours of making contact. Clients seeking longer term support will be seen within two weeks for an initial assessment, and support is available face-to-face, online or telephone, increasing accessibility to the service.
First established in 2015, the Horsham and Shipley Community Project has developed as a charitable organisation to provide a place where local people can help stay busy, active and connected through enjoyable activities that promote fun, fitness, friendship and social interaction, enhancing and improving their general wellbeing.
The group runs an active 'walking' football club, the Shipley Petanque club and the thriving Shipley Men’s Shed. A weekly Green Team maintains the site and the football pitch they built.
The charity also organises regular walks and cycle rides for their intrepid walkers and cyclists. Youth football is played on the junior pitch at weekends and, throughout the year, lunches, curries, summer BBQs and a Christmas lunch help bring this community together.
Pulborough and District Community Care Association offers various services and activities for people who live in Pulborough and the surrounding district. Helping the community is at the heart of the Association whose range of services includes a Wednesday Lunch Club, community transport, Pulborough Befriends, the Pulborough Pop-In, Cooking with Confidence sessions and the Pulborough Pantry. All the activities are run by amazing local volunteers who live in Pulborough and the surrounding area.
PDCCA has continued to flourish from its humble beginnings and plays a vital role in the life of the community.
Refugees Welcome Crawley is a registered charity run by volunteers, offering welcome and practical support in the Crawley area to refugees and people waiting for their asylum claims to be decided. The group supports men, women and families seeking sanctuary here from many different countries including Afghanistan, Iran, Syria, Sudan, Eritrea and Ukraine, doing whatever they can to make refugees and asylum seekers feel welcome.
The group provides clothing and shoes, and offers English classes, Drop-in advice sessions, especially for those facing homelessness as well as a Welcome Club with games, tea and chat.
[] Representatives of each successful group will receive the award crystal and certificate from the Lord-Lieutenant of West Sussex, Lady Emma Barnard, next year. In addition two volunteers from each group will attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace.
The Lord-Lieutenant commented: "I'm delighted that four of West Sussex’s voluntary organisations have been awarded this tremendously prestigious accolade. All nominations are very rigorously assessed and the Awards are extremely hard to achieve. I'm looking forward very much to presenting the Awards on behalf of His Majesty in the coming months.”
The King’s Award for Voluntary Service aims to recognise outstanding work by volunteer groups that benefit their local communities. It was created in 2002 to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee and, following his accession, His Majesty The King emphasised his desire to continue the Award.
250 charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups throughout the UK have received the Award this year. The number of nominations remains high year on year, showing that the voluntary sector is thriving and full of innovative ideas to make life better for those around them. The winners are announced on 14th November each year, the date of the King’s birthday.
Although nominations are first reviewed by the Office of the Lord-Lieutenant of each county with the help of a local assessment panel, the decisions on which groups should receive an award are made through a national assessment process. The independent National Assessment Committee evaluates the potential list and creates a shortlist. At the advisory stage, the Main Award Committee advises the Cabinet Office and the Minister for Civil Society. The final selection of awardees is then presented to the King to grant his formal approval.