Mildmay volunteers Elizabeth Hagan, Wallace Thomas and Janice Wilson

VOLUNTEERS from 15 community groups came together last Thursday to celebrate after they received the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service last year.

One of just 17 voluntary groups in London to be awarded the prize, and one of 244 across the whole country, Octopus Community Network was given the honour – the equivalent of an MBE for charities – for its work serving local people through food hubs during the pandemic.

The volunteers met at St Luke’s Community Centre to receive their honorary badges from the Mayor of Islington, councillor Marion Spall, and Deputy Lieutenant for Islington Paul Herbage.

Teena Phillips of Mildmay Community Centre, one of the local food hubs, said of the volunteers: “​​We wouldn’t be able to do half the stuff that we do without their help. And this is what I tried to get across to them because every part they play helps us forward to helping others within their own community.”

Janice Wilson, a volunteer at the food bank at Mildmay, said she felt “so ashamed” when she was first forced to use it during lockdown due to financial hardship.

“Then that slowly dispelled and I started feeling more comfortable, and then I became a volunteer,” she added.