King's Award for Voluntary Service 2025

King's Award for Voluntary Service 2025:

Each year, at 8am on 14th November, the King’s Birthday, Buckingham Palace oficially announces the Kings Awards for Volunteering. The National Honey Show is delighted to have received the Kings Award for Volunteering 2025. The Show, the world’s largest honey show and beekeeping convention, run entirely by a large team of dedicated, unpaid, mostly local volunteers, is an annual event held in Surrey.

We are one of 231 local charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups in UK to receive the prestigious award this year.

From its origins in 1923, when it was first held at The Crystal Palace, the show has had many venues, and is now held, each October, at Sandown Park Racecourse in Esher, Surrey. As well as being the world’s largest, most spectacular honey show, there are lectures from expert speakers, a variety of practical workshops and a comprehensive trade show. All this is achieved entirely by our group of dedicated volunteers.

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 Late Majesty The Queen’s Golden Jubilee and was continued following the accession of His Majesty The King. 2025 marks the third year of The King’s Award for Voluntary Service.

The show is a complex event, planned year to year by a committee with responsibilities ranging from agreeing the schedule of entry classes, the judges, stewards, logging all the entry and prize details; arranging and booking a series of interesting and informative lectures and workshops, trade hall, and all the storage, staging, signage and general show administration.

At the event itself, volunteer stewards spend a day setting up, the team running the back office mastermind the layout for staging exhibits, and log the judging and issue certificates, Stewards assist the judges, ‘man’ the admission desk, the doors, the information desk, guard exhibits, assist with the lectures and workshops, on the sales desk, and sundry other tasks. The show is immensely grateful to, and proud of our incredible team, who make this fantastic show possible each year.

HM Lord-Lieutenant of Surrey Michael More-Molyneux visiting the show with his cadets 25th October 2025.

So how did it all happen for the award? Voluntary organisations cannot put themselves forward for the award. A nomination has to come from someone who knows the show but is not involved in any way. It was Tim Lovett, the President of Surrey Beekeepers’ Association and Past President of the British Beekeepers’ Association who initially put us forward. He crafted a series of responses to an initial questionnaire from the KAVS office at the Department of Culture, Media and Sport. This was submitted along with 2 letters of support from people who have benefited from the show. The KAVS office reviewed Tims submission and approved the next stage in the process. They requested the Lord Lieutenant of Surreys office to conduct a searching interview and make their report back to the KAVS office.

In early February we (Bob, our chairman, Fiona, our General Secretary, Sue, our vice chair, with Richard Bradfield from Surrey BKA who came along to put forward the benefits of the show from the point of view of a volunteer ‘at the coal face’ and not part of the Exec) attended an interview in Guildford Cathedral with two people from the Lord Lieutenants office who gave us a thorough grilling. Extensive forms were filled in prior to the meeting and a lot of work went into making the case for the show.

We attended a couple of events during the summer for nominees for the award (there were 16 nominees in Surrey) and kept our fingers crossed.

Early in October we received news of the award, strictly embargoed until the formal announcement on 14th November, the Kings birthday. So, it was announced today (14 November 2025) that the National Honey Show is one of three voluntary organisations in Surrey to be honoured with this prestigious award. It’s a wonderful recognition for all the fantastic volunteers and supporters who make the show possible.

The award will be presented by the Lord Lieutenant at some point to be decided – probably early 2026.

We will be able to use the KAVS logo in perpetuity.

Come along to The National Honey Show, 22nd to 24th October 2026 and join us in celebrating this prestigious achievement, while enjoying all the show has to offer.

King's Award for Voluntary Service 2025:

Author: Val Rhenius

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