Mayor welcomes volunteers honoured by the Queen

The Mayor of Bury hosted a reception for two voluntary groups who have recently received the prestigious Queens Award for Voluntary Service.

Councillor Michelle Wiseman welcomed representatives from Bury Blind Society and from Bury Involvement Group (BIG in Mental Health).

In attendance were Cllr Mike Connolly, leader of Bury Council; Barry Dixon, Deputy Lord Lieutenant of
Greater Manchester; council chief executive Mike Kelly; and representatives from the two groups.

Bury Blind Society (http://www.buryblindsociety.org/) is a charitable organisation that provides a variety of services to enhance the quality of life for all visually impaired people in the borough. It was founded in 1922 and for many years just held social events, but became properly established in 1994 with premises, staff, volunteers, a committee and trustees. It relies on legacies, voluntary donations, fundraising and grants to carry out the work it does.

Bury Involvement Group (BIG in Mental Health) has been active since 2007 and provides a strong independent voice, helping people with mental health issues and reducing stigma. It runs support groups to promote good mental health recovery and support people to manage their mental health on a day to day basis. Any adult who consider themselves to have a mental health condition is welcome to attend the groups, which are free and do not require a referral. For more details, see http://buryinvolvementgroup.org/

Cllr Wiseman said: “It was a pleasure to meet two such outstanding Bury voluntary groups. They do a fantastic amount of good work for local residents, and fully deserve to be formally honoured by the
Queen. I wish them every success in the coming years.”

ENDS

Press release issued: 22 September 2014.

Picture attached: Cllr Michelle Wiseman welcomes the Queen’s Award winners to the mayor’s parlour.