An award-winning volunteer group is to call it a day after nearly 40 years.

The Sheppey Event Marshalling Unit (EMUs) was created in 1985 by Sheerness resident David O'Neill and were well-known for helping various outdoor events.

Despite Mr O'Neill passing away at the age of 63 following a long bout of illness back in December 2021, he ensured daughter Tracey would take over as the group's leader.

Yet she has made the decision to now disband the organisation after being unable to get enough volunteers and donations of late.

The 36-year-old insists she would rather the team "end on a high" than continue to struggle.

She said: “The decision was never going to be easy, as my dad had done this for nearly all of my life and for 37 years himself.

“He handed the reins to me because he wanted it to be a family thing, and he would never have wanted it to end.

“But we have now reached a point where there were barely any volunteers, no drivers and at most two or three people helping during the events we were doing, and that's why I have chosen to officially call it a day.

“The last few years haven’t been going great so I decided that enough is enough, despite really wanting it to shine."

The EMUs supported places such as Sheppey United FC, Sittingbourne Carnival and the Queenborough Lantern Parade, as well as the Faversham Car Show and Hastings Bonfire Society.

Their dedication also led them being awarded Charity of the Year by the KM's very own Sheerness Times Guardian in 2016.

Ms O'Neill admits she hopes a similar group can rise up in years to come.

“Some people have said they may start setting up their own events group in time, so hopefully something new starts again in the future," she added.

“But even if that doesn't happen, I feel happy knowing the people and groups we’ve helped and brought joy to over the years can never be taken away from us, so that’s why I’m at least relieved we’ve gone out on a high.

“As a group we worked with so many events organisers and won so many volunteering awards, so I want to thank all the members, new and old, who have made this possible for the people of Sheppey and elsewhere."