A CHARITY which supports unpaid carers in Worcestershire has become the first organisation in the county to win a prestigious volunteering award.

Investing in Volunteers (IiV) presented the Worcestershire Association of Carers (WAC) with a 'gold standard' award, recognising its work with volunteers.

The association was tested by the IiV against a range of 'best practice' measures, and was found to excel in all aspects of working with its volunteers.

Carole Cumino, chief executive officer at WAC, was presented with the award by Worcestershire County Councillor Lucy Hodgson and Lady Morrison, patron of the WAC.

She said: "We are delighted to be recognised as a centre of volunteering excellence. We wanted to acknowledge the enormous contribution that our volunteers make to improving the lives of the 63,000 unpaid carers in Worcestershire."

Val Turner, volunteer coordinator, said: "Preparing for the award was a great opportunity to showcase the important role that our volunteers play in the provision of our services.

"It has been an exciting year, particularly as we have recently been commissioned by the county council to support carers through the Integrated Carers Hub."

Cllr Hodgson said: "This is a great achievement and shows how important volunteers are to the local community."

IiV aims to improve the quality of the volunteering experience.

The WAC is recruiting more volunteers for its expanding services, with the next training programme starting on Thursday, November 10.

For more information contact Alison Cutner or Val Turner on 01905 751347, email volunteer@carersworcs.org.uk, or visit carersworcs.org.uk