A voluntary group in the Isle of Man has been honoured with the King’s Award for Voluntary Service (KAVS),

The award, given to the Manx Wildlife Trust (MWT), is the MBE-equivalent for voluntary groups in the UK and the Crown Dependencies.

MWT has been given the royal seal of approval for delivering and championing conservation of Manx nature and the Environment for the Isle of Man.

KAVS is the highest award given to volunteer groups in the British Isles to recognise exceptional service within their communities and recipients are announced each year in November.

Manx Wildlife Trust will receive their award from the Lieutenant Governor Sir John Lorimer at an event in their honour at Government House early in the New Year.

Sir Lorimier said: ‘I am very impressed with the breadth and scale of the work undertaken by Manx Wildlife Trust.

‘The dedication of their volunteers on the Island is critical in maintaining the Island’s environment on land and sea, and in preserving our special and unique status as a whole-nation UNESCO biosphere.

‘This award is exceptionally well deserved.’

Leigh Morris, CEO, Manx Wildlife Trust, said: ‘Manx Wildlife Trust was formed over 51 years ago by a group of passionate volunteers (some of whom still volunteer with us today), and for almost half our existence Manx Wildlife Trust was run entirely by volunteers.

‘There is now a small paid staff team, but the 500 volunteers who contribute regularly in a huge range of different ways, remain the backbone of how our charity delivers our nature conservation and restoration work.

‘Our volunteers are all wonderful people, who give their valuable time to help nature in the Isle of Man, and it is absolutely wonderful that every single one of them over our 51+ years is being honoured in this way by our King.’