A group set up by two 15-year-olds to support military children has received The King’s Award for Voluntary Service for 2024.

Carterton Community College Service Club was established in 2020 by students Alfie Crabb and Kieran Everett.

They saw the need for extra support for students from military families during times when parents are deployed, away from home, or when new students join the school after families are posted to the area.

Four years on, the club is now a key part of the school, providing emotional and well-being support, additional reading and numeracy intervention, personal development opportunities, and a communal space for service students to spend time together.

School staff and service student ambassadors volunteer their time to provide support, and the club has influenced the school’s wider commitment to service students, who represent nearly a quarter of the school roll.

Volunteer service student ambassadors have shared their work with other schools and local authorities, extending their influence across the region and as far afield as Scotland.

Kieran said: "Our staff and student volunteers have been brilliant, helping the club grow from strength to strength, and continue to provide really important support and opportunities for service children."

Alfie added: "We’re really proud that Carterton Community College Service Club has been recognised by The King’s Award for Voluntary Service.

Alfie Crabb and Kieran EverettAlfie Crabb and Kieran Everett (Image: Carterton Community College) "It feels a long time since the club started and we could not have imagined how much impact it has had."

The King’s Award for Voluntary Service aims to recognise outstanding work by local volunteer groups to support their communities.

It is the highest award a local voluntary group can receive in the UK and is equivalent to an MBE.

Created in 2002 to celebrate the Queen’s Golden Jubilee, it has been continued following the accession of the King.

Recipients are announced annually on November 14, the King’s birthday, and 2024 marks the second year of The King’s Award for Voluntary Service.

This year’s award winners include a mental health and wellbeing support network for veterans and their families in Yorkshire, a group preserving a 12th-century castle in south Wales, volunteers offering English lessons for refugees in Stirling, and an organisation providing opportunities to engage in the arts for people with learning disabilities in County Fermanagh.

Volunteers representing Carterton Community College Service Club will receive the award crystal and certificate from Marjorie Glasgow, Lord-Lieutenant of Oxfordshire.

Two volunteers from the club will also attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace in May and June 2025, along with other recipients of this year’s award.