Vale of Clwyd MP Dr James Davies has congratulated a prominent Rhyl fundraiser who has received a special Jubilee award for his volunteering work.
In honour of Her Majesty The Queen and the great example she has set in her 70 years of service, Royal Voluntary Service launched the Platinum Champions Awards for volunteers, and Richard Kendrick, of Prestatyn, was one of 490 winners of the award.
He was invited to the Queen’s 'Party at the Palace' concert on Saturday (June 4), as well as being given the chance to receive his award from Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall the following day. However, as he had organised a Jubilee celebration at Rhyl's Marine Lake over the bank holiday, he stayed locally to help coordinate that.
James, who last year was one of a number of people who nominated Richard for a Pride of Britain Award, said:
"Sadly Richard narrowly missed out on receiving a Pride of Britain award last year, so I was delighted to hear that had been awarded a prestigious 'Platium Champion' award as part of Her Majesty The Queen's Platinum Jubliee.
"Richard goes above and beyond to help in the local community and is probably best known for being the Poppy Appeal co-ordinator for the area for the Royal British Legion (RBL), for his work with the homeless and with the charity Superkids.
"During the pandemic he raised more than £70,000, which contributed to RBL services for Armed Forces families, as well as tablets for Glan Clwyd Hospital patients to keep in touch with their families during visiting restrictions, confectionery for key workers, PPE and funeral costs.
"It is a great shame he was unable to collect the award from the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall in person, but having organised events in Rhyl for the Jubilee I can understand why he didn't attend. I congratulate Richard on this very well deserved award and thank him for everything he does for the local community."
Richard, who is currently busy making final preparations for the Falklands 40th Anniversary service, which he has helped organise and will take place at Rhyl Events Arena next Tuesday (June 14th), said:
"I am extremely honoured to have received a 'Platinum Champion' award. I was really shocked when I first heard. It would have been great to have attended the concert in London and picked up my award in person, but I had too much going on here.
“I've always loved helping people. It makes me feel good, knowing that I've made a difference to someone’s life. We are very fortunate to have so many excellent volunteers in the area, and I would not be able to achieve what I do without them, so I would like to think that this award is for us all.”
