Housing trust awarded highest voluntary honour

Keswick Community Housing Trust has built 40 houses as part of four different projects

A housing trust aiming to tackle challenges in an area with high numbers of holiday lets has been given the country's highest voluntary award.

Keswick Community Housing Trust (KCHT) has been awarded the King’s Award for Voluntary Service for its work in the Lake District town.

The trust has delivered 40 affordable homes, in a town where a "significant" number are used for holiday lets and house prices are high, despite wages being low.

Bill Bewley, chairman of KCHT, said the award was a "fantastic recognition" of the volunteers' work to enable those with family and local jobs to "live here, raise families and contribute to keeping Keswick a vibrant community".

The award, is the highest a local voluntary group can receive in the UK and is equivalent to being appointed MBE.

It will be presented by His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Cumbria, Alexander Scott.

Two volunteers from the trust will also attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace next year.