Two charities win King's Award for voluntary work

Teresa McCarthy-Dixon said her charity foundation was "over the moon" to receive the accolade

Two charities have received the King’s Award for Voluntary Service 2023 to recognise their "outstanding" community work.

The McCarthy-Dixon Foundation in Northampton and the Wellingborough District Hindu Association (WDHA) were named among 262 national organisations to win the inaugural accolade.

The WDHA provides community events as well as educational and sports programmes for children, families and local schools.

The association was started by a group of community volunteers in the early 1970s.

Activities taking place in the Swan and Helmet pub in Northampton, run by charity founder Teresa McCarthy-Dixon

The McCarthy-Dixon Foundation is a pub charity founded during the pandemic that offers support to families in hardship.

Founder Teresa McCarthy Dixon said: “Over the last three years we have worked so hard to support everyone we can, and it’s fantastic to receive such brilliant recognition of these efforts.”

She said she hoped the award would "help more people learn of the services they provide and access them”.

The King’s Award for Voluntary Service is the highest award a community group can receive in the UK and recognises the work done to support local people.

Recipients will be announced annually on 14 November, King Charles' birthday.