​Recognition for the work of Mary's Meals and its dedicated volunteers

One of the country’s best loved causes is celebrating after it was honoured with the prestigious Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service.

Argyll-based Mary’s Meals won the award – regarded as the highest given for voluntary work and dubbed the MBE for voluntary groups – for its support for children across the globe.

The charity is a volunteer-led global movement that provides a daily meal in school to more than 1.1 million children in 12 different countries across the world.

The Queen’s Awards for Voluntary Service recognise the outstanding work of volunteer groups within their communities. The awards were created in 2002 to celebrate the Queen’s Golden Jubilee. Mary’s Meals is one of 193 charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups to receive the respected award this year.

Alan Brown, executive director of Mary’s Meals, said: “From our 65,000 volunteers in Malawi who get up at the break of dawn to prepare, cook and serve vital meals to hungry children to the thousands of generous people across the UK who give up their time to support our work, volunteers are at the heart of everything we do.

“We are very honoured to receive the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service. It is fantastic that the achievements of our many wonderful UK volunteers are being officially recognised through this award.

“We are so grateful to every volunteer who has supported Mary’s Meals’ incredible mission. Their compassion, dedication and hard work is helping us to reach the next child waiting for Mary’s Meals.”

The organisation pitches itself as a low-cost charity, spending 93p in every £1 on its charitable activities.