Chatham Town Football Club have received a prestigious award in recognition of their community work.

The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service is the highest award a local voluntary group can receive in the UK and is equivalent to an MBE.

Chatham Town have just clinched promotion from the Southern Counties East Premier Division but this award recognises the club for their work off the pitch. They are one of 244 organisations across the UK today (Thursday) to have won the award in recognition of their outstanding community service.

The awards were created in 2002 to celebrate the Queen's Golden Jubilee and this year’s honours come on the weekend of the Platinum Jubilee.

Club chairman Kevin Hake said: “On behalf of everyone at the club we are honoured to receive The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service.

“I’m immensely proud of all work that the club does in the community and am blown away getting recognised in the national honours list by the Queen.

“As a club we have always aimed to embrace our local community by using the power of sport to bring everyone closer together and raise awareness of tackling social issues such as loneliness, obesity, improving physical and mental wellbeing, integration, poverty, and social inclusion.

“Our team of dedicated volunteers work hard weekly reaching out in our community sessions at the stadium, local parks and schools as well as reaching out on the phone or in people’s homes as necessary.

“We are very proud to receive this award in recognition of the work we are doing and I thank everyone at the club for their hard work and commitment”

The award comes on the same day that MP for Chatham and aylesford Tracey Crouch - a regular visitor to the Bauvill Stadium - has been made a CBE.

Chatham have run free fitness sessions, they led the way in helping out their local residents during the Covid lockdown and offered free counselling too. Their efforts during the pandemic saw them named Project of the Year at the Grassroots Football Awards.

The club hosted an NHS Charity Day with raised funds going towards the wellbeing of the staff that work at the Medway Maritime hospital.

Prime minister Boris Johnson visited the club earlier this year during National Apprentice Week. Chatham run an academy and have plans for a big expansion.

Minister for Civil Society and Youth Nigel Huddleston said of the award winners: “Our volunteers give up their time to help others and The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service recognises their selfless acts of generosity and kindness.

“I congratulate all the awardees whose hard work and dedication is rightly recognised in this milestone year of The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.”