Small could well be beautiful when it comes to the Kent Volunteering Awards.

The awards aim to celebrate the work of volunteers across Kent, Medway, Bexley and Bromley, and one of the judging organisations says they represent an ideal opportunity to recognise the activities of people helping out at smaller organisations.

Paul Auston, deputy to awards judge the Lord Lieutenant of Kent, said: “The awards link very neatly with Kent Volunteers, which is a website that was set up under the initiative of the Lord Lieutenant of Kent, Viscount De L’Isle.

“In the work of looking at Queen’s Awards for Voluntary Service, we became very keenly aware that there are so many different charities out there but not just charities, community interest groups, mother and toddler play groups, all doing an incredible job in their local communities.

“We realised that a lot of them would never be able to achieve an award at a national scale. So we thought, ‘how can we link these people in?’

“Kent Volunteers became a handshake organisation, matching volunteers and their skills to the charities and demands. And then we linked in with the Kent Volunteering Awards, which looks at excellence in the sector regardless of size.

“So the small mother and toddler group at Leysdown or the baby group in Yalding all have a chance to be recognised for what they do, which is excellence in the community.”

Anybody can submit Kent Volunteering Awards nominations for either individuals or teams, and the deadline for doing so is October 18.

Besides the lord lieutenant, the awards are supported by the EKC Group, the Kent Police and Crime Commissioner, the Kent Community Foundation, Pfizer R&D UK Limited, Stronger Kent Communities and National Lottery Awards for All. They are organised by the KM Charity Team.

See Kentvolunteeringawards.co.uk for more information or to submit a nomination, and watch a video in which Mr Auston talks about the awards here: