AFTER the awful spring we have had, it is lovely to write about something positive and last Saturday that is exactly what we got when John Harwood, Vice Lord-Lieutenant of Oxfordshire, presented us with the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen.

We also welcomed Deputy Lieutenant Elizabeth Paris, Oxfordshire County Council chairman Zoé Patrick, Vale of White Horse District Council chairman Reg Waite and Didcot Chamber of Commerce president Glyn Hall, as well as many of our own volunteers.

The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service (QAVS) is the highest award given to volunteer groups across the UK to recognise outstanding work. It is a national honour, equivalent to the MBE, and was first awarded in 2003. It is only awarded to voluntary organisations and charities for outstanding service and achievement.

Being nominated and then being awarded the Queen’s Award is a great honour for us at and for the town.

In his speech, John Harwood explained that the standards for the award are very high. The organisation must be run wholly or predominantly by volunteer; it must be local; meet a need or provide a service; do so to the highest standards and be recognised and respected for so doing. Only a few awards are made each year and since it was created only 30 other organisations in Oxfordshire have received the award. He went on to say that overall, the award recognises the impressive contribution and record of achievement made by Didcot Railway Centre over its first 50 years, and he wished us all continued success and further achievements in the future.

Speaking of the future, we have recently developed new exhibitions at the centre to attract more visitors and in June we are opening the Signalling Centre, which tells the story of signalling from the early days to the Swindon Panel of the 1960s.

Looking forward to the next 50 years we have been working on plans to review our governance and make sure we have a sustainable future: The Great Western Society, the governing body of Didcot Railway Centre, is looking to appoint new trustees to our board. We are particularly looking for trustees with experience and networks in fundraising, marketing, human resource and volunteer management, and museum management. Apparently the average age of trustees nationally is 57 and our average is higher than that so we recognise we need to attract a younger and more diverse group of trustees. Full details, including an application pack, are on our website.