Freedom from Torture North West honoured with Award

Volunteers from Freedom from Torture North West have been honoured with the Queen's Award at Buckingham Palace.

The Freedom from Torture in the North West has been awarded the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service, in recognition of their superb work in helping to improve the lives of torture survivors.

The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service is the highest award a volunteer organisation can receive in the UK to recognise outstanding work, essentially an MBE for organisations rather than individuals. Emma, a therapist in the Manchester centre, and Jonathon, a torture survivor who now volunteers as part of the Experts by Experience group in the centre, went to the Queens Garden party on the 28th May.

The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service is the highest award a volunteer organisation can receive in the UK to recognise outstanding work, essentially an MBE for organisations rather than individuals.

Jude and her team will pick up the award at a special ceremony on the 3rd August.

The volunteers at the centre were nominated by one of their funders, and Jude Boyles, manager of Freedom from Torture North West was delighted to receive the award:

"We are delighted to be given this award in recognition of the tremendous contribution of our skilled and experienced volunteers, including survivors themselves, at Freedom form Torture North West. It means we can genuinely offer a holistic approach to rehabilitation. The majority of the doctors who write medical reports for survivors are volunteers and so it's wonderful to have their thoughtful and skilled work recognised in this way."

Jonathon was chosen to represent Freedom from Torture at Buckingham Palace, and he said how much it meant to both him and the other volunteers:

"The way that torture survivors change through the work that Freedom from Torture undertakes is worth recognition, so it is special that it is being honoured by the Royal Family. I have seen changes in torture survivors with my own eyes through the help they receive, and people have to know how much assistance the volunteers at Freedom from Torture give to torture survivors. This award is recognition of that."