A volunteer from Whitehill has been recognised by the King and Queen as one of the nation’s coronation champions.

Carol Anne Dann, the branch co-ordinator for the Royal Voluntary Services Whitehill Luncheon Club, was one of 500 people to be chosen for the accolade out of  almost 5,000 nominations.

The judges said they were impressed by Carol Anne’s organisation skills and support for the volunteers and the local community providing home-cooked lunches every week.  

They said she has helped the team to succeed and has helped the local community to enjoy good wholesome food cooked to a very high standard.

The Queen is  president of Royal Voluntary Service, which ran the Coronation Champions Awards to recognise exceptional volunteers from across the country.

Carol Anne said “It’s an honour and a privilege to be named a coronation champion.”

Catherine Johnstone, chief executive of Royal Voluntary Service, said: “We were completely blown away by the response to the Community Champions Awards and the huge volume of amazing nominees put forward. 

‘‘Our judges had a tough job selecting just 500 champions from an array of thousands of inspirational individuals, who all deserve to be recognised and commended. 

“Each of our coronation champions displayed a commitment and contribution that far exceeded any expectation and we’re overjoyed to honour and thank them during this exciting point in history.”

Royal Voluntary Service was set up as the Women’s Voluntary Service in 1938 and helped civilians during the Second World War.

It is now one of Britain’s largest volunteering charities and supports the NHS. 

Its NHS Volunteer Responders programme supports approximately 200,000 people.

The charity also runs home libraries, companionship support, home-from-hospital services and patient transport.