The Nell Bank Charitable Trust was awarded the Kings Award for Voluntary Service in November 2024 as part of the King‘s birthday honours.
On Friday, 4th April 2025, special guests the Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire, Mr Ed Anderson along with the Deputy Lieutenants Richard Jackson and Adam Beamont and the Lord Mayor of Bradford Beverley Mullaney, joined the trustees, volunteers and staff of the Nell Bank Charitable Trust to present the award.
The celebration took place in the wooden amphitheatre looking out over Ilkley Moor at the Cow and Calf in the location where many thousands of children begin their outdoor adventures at the Nell Bank Outdoor Education Centre.
This prestigious award celebrates the outstanding work of local volunteers and is equivalent to an MBE, the highest honour given to local voluntary groups in the country and awarded for life.
Adam Clark, chair of the Nell Bank Charitable Trust said:
“Receiving this award is a privilege and an honour. The work undertaken by the amazing volunteers and staff has an incredibly positive impact on the many thousands of children that visit at the centre each year. Having the team’s work recognised in this way is incredible endorsement of everything the Nell Bank Charitable Trust stands for and has achieved, particularly over the last few years.”
Adam Clark added:
“We were delighted to be joined by the Lord Lieutenant, his deputies and the Lord Mayor of Bradford along with over 60 of our amazing volunteers and staff. We are immensely proud of what has been achieved by our team and we look forward to welcoming many more children to the centre over the coming years.”
[Deputy Lieutenant Richard Jackson, –The Lord Mayor of Bradford, Cllr Beverley Mullaney, The Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire, Mr Ed Anderson, Chair of Nell Bank Charitable Trust, Adam Clark, Head of Nell Bank Outdoor Education Centre Dan Goodey, Deput Lieutenant Prof. Adam Beaumont.]
Dan Goodey head of the Nell Bank Outdoor Education Centre said:
“We are incredibly fortunate to have such an amazing team supporting the work that Nell Bank Charitable Trust does. From our Board of voluntary directors to the volunteers that support our public events and the staff team to the member trustees; everybody works incredibly hard to ensure that all children have an opportunity to benefit from outdoor learning experiences, to connect with nature and enjoy the positive health and well-being benefits associated with spending time outdoors and away from screens.”
Nell Bank sees over 24,000 visitors every year with an average of over 10 schools and over 500 children every week.
The Nell Bank Charitable Trust as a strong commitment to inclusivity and consciously supports children from less privileged backgrounds and those with special educational needs and disabilities.
The Nell Bank Centre was set up back in 1977 by the then Lord Mayor of Bradford Paul Hockney, to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s Silver Jubilee and 48 years later the centre is still thriving.
Dan Goodey went on to say:
“There is a lovely royal thread to this story and having the current Lord Mayor celebrating the centre’s success following her predecessors vision back in 1977 feels very fitting. A lot has changed over the centre’s 48 year life, but the culture, ethos and objectives of the centre have remained the same and continue to drive and motivate us in the work that we do.”
Through a range of fundraising activities, the Nell Bank Charitable Trust is able to remove barriers to participation and works hard to achieve the citation on the King’s award; to make safe, high quality outdoor learning accessible to all children and young people .
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