Do you know a volunteer or group that goes above and beyond to help others that live in the Folkestone & Hythe District council area? What makes them stand out, who do they support and how? We invite you to nominate them for the 2026 Excellence in Volunteering Awards.

In conjunction with Folkestone & Hythe District Council, we are proud to present the Folkestone & Hythe District Excellence in Volunteering Awards 2026.

Everyone nominated will be invited to our volunteer celebration party at Harbour Church, Folkestone on Thursday 4th June 2026 6.30pm-8.30pm

Thank you to Eurotunnel for supporting the awards and thank you to The National Lottery Community Fund for their continued support.

NOMINATE NOW

DEADLINE: By 11.45pm Friday 17th April 2026

Please note, each nominee will be judged on the content of the nomination only, so please try to give us as much detail as possible.

There are 6 nomination categories:

Individual – this will be a volunteer who is nominated alone, examples of this could be, a befriender, a volunteer car or meals on wheels driver, a sports coach for youth group, an admin volunteer or a litter picker in your village or town.

School/College/Youth Group/Youth Club (Volunteers ages under 18) – examples of this could be a school who have done a service for the community, a cadet force who have been fundraising for a good cause, a youth club who have cleaned up a local playground or a dance group that have visited a day centre to entertain older people.

Group of volunteers – this is a group that are adults, examples could be, a team of volunteers from a charity shop who have helped to raise money for their charity, a team of volunteers who provide activities for people with additional needs, a group who prepare and deliver meals to the homeless or a group of volunteers who manage a park run.

Governance i.e. trustee, a school governor, member of the PTA, a town or parish councillor, a magistrate or anybody who volunteers in a role that involves managing a not-for-profit organisation.
Corporate – this could be a group of corporate volunteers, an individual volunteer from a business who uses their volunteering hours as an advisor or trustee, a company which has donated some equipment to a charity or perhaps a company that has done some essential fundraising for a charity.
Environmental – Environmental Award – Celebrating projects that protect and enhance the environment across Folkestone, Hythe and Romney Marsh supporting sustainability and tackling climate change. Examples could include gardening, recycling, wildlife projects and environmental clean ups.
The Environmental Award is a new special award and will be in addition to your original choice. If you feel that your nomination also falls under the Environmental category, please tick the box on the nomination form to be eligible for this award as well. Please do not select the environmental category without nominating in one of the other categories first. Thank you

Who can make a nomination?

Everyone! Nominations can come from organisations, individuals who have benefitted from the work of the volunteers, or others who know about their good deeds.

People who are nominated must:

Volunteer for a not-for-profit organisation (e.g. a charity or community group or CIC/social enterprise or statutory service) that operates in Folkestone, Hythe, Romney Marsh and surrounds as this is a celebration of volunteering in the Folkestone & Hythe district.
The person must be aware that they are being nominated for the award.

Please look at this page for Guidance on How to Nominate.

All nominations must be received by KCV before Friday 17th April 2026 11.45pm.

All the nominations for each category will be reviewed by a panel of representatives from Kent Coast Volunteering, Folkestone & Hythe District Council, and other voluntary or statutory organisations.

Everyone nominated, and the organisations they volunteer for, are invited to our Awards Event and Volunteer Celebration Party at Harbour Church, Folkestone on Thursday 4th June 2026 – 6.30pm-8.30pm

We will be sharing information about some of the volunteers nominated, and the organisations they volunteer for, in the run up to the event – check back to find out more.

Make your nominations HERE

Or through this link: https://forms.office.com/e/cPrCjYqskC

These are the questions you will be asked on the form.

Nominee – about you:

Firstly, we will need to know who you are and how we can contact you, so please provide us with either your email address or phone number, ideally both if you don’t mind.

Name
Email
Phone number

We will need to know how you know the volunteer or group you are nominating, for example, they may be a volunteer with a not-for-profit organisation you also volunteer for, or work for. Maybe they offer a service to a family member or friend, they may have raised money for your charity or group? Please tell us who they are, if possible, an email address and phone number, if that’s not possible either will be ok.

How do you know the volunteer or group you are nominating?

About the person/group you are nominating:

Their name
Their email
Their phone
The name of the organisation they volunteer for?
Which category are you nominating them for?

Individual School/youth group A group of volunteers Governance Corporate Environmental

What makes them outstanding?

Please try to give us as much detail as you can, we want you to tell us your opinion, don’t worry about embarrassing them with your praise, you might want to give us an example of something they have done or are doing that lead you to nominate them. For example, they may have overcome personal challenges, or their volunteering makes them the heart of the community, or they may have spotted a community need and set up a group in response. The reason you are nominating them could simply be because they have volunteered for many years.

Who do they support and how?

What exactly do they do (i.e. it could be boosting someone’s confidence, reducing loneliness and isolation, or supporting a community activity – it could be sports, a lunch club etc), how many people do they help, how much money have they raised? Be as specific as you can. A good overview helps the panel and gives the individual or group the best chance of being shortlisted.

Evidence

Please paste website links to any evidence that will support your nomination. For video and film, please add an online link i.e. YouTube etc. If you would like to send us photos or videos to accompany this form, and don’t have a website link, then please email them to awards@kcv.org.uk, clearly stating who they are for.

Have you told them that you are nominating them for this award? (You must tell them you are going to nominate them before you complete the form, to ensure they are happy for you to do so)

Additional information
Please add any website links or other information that demonstrates their outstanding contribution, we would welcome any additional information you can provide, and any additional evidence will help the judging panel when shortlisting.

Thank you for nominating volunteers making an exceptional contribution across Folkestone and Hythe and Romney Marsh.

To find out more about the 2025 Folkestone & Hythe Excellence in Volunteering Awards and Winners please click on this link:

Volunteers celebrated at Folkestone awards evening | Kent Coast Volunteering