Active8 Honoured with The King’s Award for Voluntary Service

Cornish youth disability charity Active8 has been recognised with The King’s Award for Voluntary Service for 2025, the highest honour given to volunteer groups in the UK. The announcement was made today, 14th November, The King’s Birthday.

A Landmark Award in the Charity’s 35th Year

The accolade arrives as Active8 celebrates 35 years of supporting young people with disabilities across Cornwall and the Southwest. Founded in 1990, the charity has worked with hundreds of young people through accessible activities, peer mentoring, life skills support and confidence building. Their aim is to reduce isolation, strengthen friendships and help young people realise their future aspirations.

Active8 CEO John Sweeting, who first joined as a volunteer over 15 years ago, said:
“We are absolutely ecstatic – literally pinching ourselves – to have received this prestigious award. To gain Royal recognition for our work supporting young people with disabilities, means everything to us. It is a total testament to the drive and dedication of our team, whose energy, empathy, unwavering commitment, and passion have helped transform countless vulnerable young lives across the Southwest, enabling them to live without limits, and build futures they once thought impossible.”

Volunteer Chairman Mark Stevens added:
“The fact we have been honoured with this exceptional award, just as we are celebrating 35 years of service and reflection, makes it even more profound. This really is such a poignant and deserving moment for Active8, and for all our volunteers over the years who have dedicated so much of themselves to this life-changing youth disability project.”

About The King’s Award for Voluntary Service

The King’s Award for Voluntary Service recognises outstanding work by volunteer groups that support their communities. Created in 2002 to mark Her Late Majesty The Queen’s Golden Jubilee, it continues under His Majesty The King.

Lord-Lieutenants represent the monarch in each ceremonial county and play a key role in the awards process.

This year 232 groups from across the UK and Channel Islands have been honoured. Recipients range from community dog walkers helping keep Kincardineshire clean, to a Hampshire group offering flying experiences for people with disabilities, to a veterans support group in the Welsh Valleys, and a Belfast charity running a museum and non-profit railway preserving Northern Ireland’s railway heritage.

What Happens Next for Active8

Representatives from Active8 will receive the award crystal and certificate from Colonel Sir Edward Bolitho of Cornwall in the coming months. Two volunteers will also attend a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace in May and June 2026.

Paralympian Stephanie Millward MBE, who recently joined the charity’s “35 km for 35 Years” Walk, Wheel and Roll Challenge, welcomed the news.
“Such an incredible charity! I wish I had known about them when I first got sick all those years ago, as it would have made such a difference to me then. I couldn’t be happier to see them receive this outstanding award, which recognises their unwavering dedication to a cause that’s so close to my heart.”

More About Active8

Active8 describes itself as a small Cornish charity with a mighty mission. Their focus is on empowering young people living with a disability to reach their full potential through transformative experiences, accessible activities, peer connections and ongoing support. More information is available at Active8: https://www.active8online.org/