Bailiwick charity first for King's award

The King's Award for Voluntary Service recognises outstanding work by local volunteer groups to support their communities

A conservation group has become the first Bailiwick charity to receive a prestigious award from King Charles III.

Guernsey Conservation Volunteers (GCV), which has been conserving the Bailiwick of Guernsey's natural environment for almost 30 years, has received The King's Award for Voluntary Service.

It is the highest award a local voluntary group can receive in the UK and Channel Islands and the equivalent of an MBE.

Angela Salmon, GCV's operations director, said receiving the award was a "huge honour" and hoped it would "further raise awareness and the profile of conservation needs in our island and of the value of volunteering".

Volunteers have removed more than half a million bulbs of the invasive, non-native, stinking onions plants in the last four years

The group said its current project to maintain and enhance nature on the island was focused on removing invasive stinking onions, which were "really taking over" in Bluebell Wood.

Ms Salmon said: "Now we see them all over the island and when you've got a special site like this for the bluebells... we really wanted to make an impact."

She said if no action was taken, the native bluebells would be lost forever and Bluebell Wood would "eventually turn white" from the invasive plant.

"When the bluebells are flowering, there are hundreds of people that visit this site and it's just special to our community," she said.

One of the volunteers, Andy Walker, said: "You're around people, you're in nature. It's fabulous. Everyone's helping out and it's good camaraderie."

More than 200 volunteers have supported GCV conservation activities in 2025, but more were always "very welcome to join".

Ms Salmon said: "Big projects just wouldn't get done if it wasn't for the volunteers.

"Their efforts have been recognised and it is just wonderful. This award is for everybody."