King Charles III Coronation: Volunteer for Y Services For Young People is named one of the Coronation Champions

Maria Calway-Kennedy is one of 500 people who have been hand-picked to get the opportunity to go to Windsor Castle Coronation Concert or a Coronation Garden Party.

Not only will Maria, of Havant, be able to visit the royal grounds, but she will also receive an award for her volunteering work and commitment to Y Services For Young People. She works on schemes in Fareham, Whiteley, Gosport, Havant and Fratton.

The award will take the form of a Coronation Champions pin and a certificate signed by Their Majesties.

Maria said: ‘I’m thrilled to be selected as one of only 500 official Coronation Champions in the UK for my voluntary work with the charity. It’s such an honour to receive one of these special awards from the Royal Voluntary Service, and they were actually judged by Her Majesty The Queen Consort.

SEE ALSO: King Charles III Coronation: Portsmouth Deaf Centre members rally together for a day or Coronation fun

‘I get a lot of satisfaction from helping children and young people, so don’t need an award, but it is nice to receive this very special one, which also includes an invite to the Coronation Concert in Windsor. I’d recommend volunteering to everyone.’

Y Services for Young People offers a range of opportunities to young people and to develop youth work in the South of Hampshire.

Catherine Johnstone CBE, chief executive of Royal Voluntary Service said: ‘We were completely blown away by the response to the Community Champions Awards and the huge volume of amazing nominees put forward. Our judges had a tough job selecting just 500 Champions from an array of thousands of inspirational individuals.’