QUEEN'S AWARD FOR AIRLIE SILVER SURFERS
THE Lord-Lieutenant of Angus, Mrs Georgiana Osborne hosted a special ceremony at Balmadies House last mid-week to present the Airlie Silver Surfers with The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service.
The Airlie Silver Surfers were bestowed with an exclusive commemorative crystal alongside a certificate, signed by Her Majesty The Queen, in recognition of their outstanding contribution to their local community. Members of the group have also been invited to attend the Royal Garden Party at the Palace of Holyrood House in July.
The Airlie Silver Surfers was set up over ten years ago by Mamie Bruce-Gardyne to teach and support the use of IT to a potentially excluded population, for example, older people living in a rural area in need of help in the area of computer skills and modern communication methods.
The group, comprised of 12 dedicated local volunteers, run a cyber caf once a week in the Airlie village hall. It hosts IT courses and support sessions and uses IT for communication and a range of creative applications, both of which decrease a sense of isolation amongst older people and improve the quality of their lives.
Mrs Osborne congratulated the group on bringing computer skills and communication methods to many in the community who would not otherwise have had the opportunity and remarked that she was quite sure that many members had experienced a new lease of life since getting involved.
She said that this year 37 groups in Scotland were nominated for a Queens Award for Voluntary Service and eleven had been successful including, also in Angus, the Carnoustie Community Helpline whose members plan to hold a celebratory event later in the year.
Angus can indeed be proud, she said, that eight local voluntary groups have now won The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service since it was created by Her Majesty in 2002 to mark the occasion of Her Golden Jubilee.
For details of all this year's Queen's Award for Voluntary Service winners and information on how to nominate a group that really makes a difference, visit the website (www.direct.gov.uk/thequeensawardforvoluntaryservice) where a nomination form can be downloaded.
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Weather for Forfar
Thursday 24 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 13 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 20 C
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