Ludlow Cancer Support Group honoured with town's Community Group Civic Award

A Ludlow group that describes itself as a real family for people affected by cancer has added another honour to its collection. Ludlow Cancer Support Group has received a Community Group Civic Award from Ludlow Town Council, presented at the Mayor Making ceremony at Ludlow Assembly Rooms.

The newly appointed Mayor of Ludlow, Councillor Diane Lyle, presented the award for outstanding service to the community. Its citation praises the group "for creating a warm, uplifting and supportive community for people affected by cancer, and for their remarkable voluntary fundraising and environmental initiatives that have strengthened well-being and community spirit across Ludlow".

Members Claire Taylor and Gaynor Lloyd collected the certificate on the group's behalf. The group said it was delighted and honoured, and thanked the town council for the certificate and the bouquet that came with it.

The civic award follows national recognition. In 2022 former town councillor Erica Garner nominated the group for what was then the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service, the highest award a local volunteer-led group can receive in the UK. On 14 November 2023 it was announced that the group would receive the King's Award for Voluntary Service, and HRH Princess Anne presented it in April 2024. The group also received a BBC Make a Difference award in September 2023.

Its members raise money for causes beyond Ludlow too. After choosing to support Brain Tumour Research in October 2024, they raised £2,740 through a display in the Ludlow Tesco store, a coffee morning and a street collection during a Wear a Hat Walk. That sum funds one full day of research, and the group now has its own tile on the Wall of Hope at the charity's Centre of Excellence at Queen Mary University of London.

The official citation for the King's Award summed up the group's spirit, describing members as "the family that no one would choose to join but, like any caring family, they are there when the need arises to help make life more manageable".

Ludlow Cancer Support Group meets on the second and fourth Fridays of each month, except August, and most meetings are held in the Parish Room of St Peter's Church in Henley Road, Ludlow. For details visit ludlowcancersupport.org.