The Lord-Lieutenant presented the Friends of Flaybrick with their King’s Award for Voluntary Service on Friday evening, 19th April 2024 at the Williamson Art Gallery.
The Friends of Flaybrick are only the second voluntary organisation in Merseyside to have received the KAVS, which was formerly the QAVS, created in 2002 to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee. The award is the equivalent to an MBE and is the highest award given to local voluntary groups in the UK. It is awarded for life, for outstanding achievement by groups of volunteers.
The Friends of Flaybrick has restored the 26 acre Victorian cemetery to its former glory, regenerated a large area for recreational or reflective walks and recovered historical records which have been indexed and made accessible. In 2017 the chapels were reopened to the public and several hundred people now attend the Service of Remembrance at the Memorial Chapel each Armistice Day.
The short citation for the award reads, “Bringing Flaybrick back into the Community.”
Pictured below left to right are: Cadet Flt Sgt Olivia Byrne, Mr. Nigel Lanceley DL, Mayor of Wirral Cllr Jerry Williams, Lady Mayoress Mrs. Williams, Chair and Trustee of the Friends of Flaybrick Mr. Robert Dolphin, Dr. Nicolas Jedynakiewicz DL and Cadet Sgt. Major Aidan Bowie.
Pictured receiving the Certificate signed by His Majesty The King and the Crystal are Mr. Robert Dolphin and Chair and Trustee (and founder) Mr. John Moffat.