Active Fusion receives The King’s Awards for Voluntary Service

Active Fusion, a children and young person’s sports charity based in Doncaster have been awarded The King’s Award for Voluntary Service for 2024.

This is the highest award a local voluntary group can receive in the UK and is equivalent to an MBE. Active Fusion is committed to empowering children and young people, placing them at the core of its mission to ensure every child has the best start in life. As a charity, it fosters a lifelong love of activity by delivering high-quality sports and physical programmes that unlock potential, build positive habits, and support educational growth. With a focus on reaching those from the most disadvantaged communities, who are often facing declining mental and physical health, Active Fusion provides critical support to help these young people thrive. By encouraging them to lead change in their communities and explore future pathways, the charity aims to create a world where young people are healthy, happy and active, prioritising those who need support the most. Volunteers are essential to this mission, receiving comprehensive support to make a meaningful difference in their communities to the lives of local children.

Active Fusion is one of 281 local charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups to receive the prestigious award this year, and only 1 of 4 charities in South Yorkshire. Their work, along with others from across the UK, reminds us of all the ways fantastic volunteers are contributing to their local communities and working to make life better for those around them. The King’s Award for Voluntary Service aims to recognise outstanding work by local volunteer groups to support their communities.

It was created in 2002 to celebrate Her Majesty The late Queen’s Golden Jubilee and was continued following the accession of His Majesty The King. 2024 marks the second year of The King’s Award for Voluntary Service. Recipients are announced annually on 14th November, The King’s Birthday. Award winners this year are wonderfully diverse and include volunteer groups from across the UK, such as a mental health and wellbeing support network for veterans and their families in Yorkshire; a group preserving a historic 12th century castle in south Wales; volunteers providing English lessons for refugees in Stirling and an organisation providing opportunities to engage in the arts for people with learning disabilities in County Fermanagh.

Representatives of Active Fusion will receive the award crystal and certificate from Dame Hilary Chapman, Lord-Lieutenant of South Yorkshire. In addition, two volunteers from Active Fusion will attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace in May and June 2025, along with other recipients of this year’s award. Founder and Director of Active Fusion, Lindsy James, commented, “This award is not just for us, but for every individual who has supported our mission, from our volunteers, donors the business community to the people we serve. It's a celebration of the spirit of giving and the power of community. Thank you to everyone who has been part of our journey. This award is a reminder of what we can achieve when we come together to create positive change.”

You can discover more about Active Fusion and their impact here.

View the full list of The King’s Award for Voluntary Service recipients for 2024 here.