Just Ride Southend, the volunteer-run charity that gets people of all ages and abilities cycling at Garon Park, has won the King’s Award for Voluntary Service.

The group is one of 250 named in the King’s Award for Voluntary Service 2026, published on Saturday 14 November.

The awards are given each year to groups “in recognition of their outstanding voluntary work in the community”, and every winner gets a one-line citation in a supplement to the London Gazette.

It is one of six Essex winners this year, alongside BASICS Essex, Teddy Bears Fun Time, Touchpoint, Women of Grace UK and Women Together.

Why Just Ride Southend won

The charity is honoured for “providing inclusive cycling sessions for all ages and abilities in a safe and welcoming space”, the Gazette citation says.

Its sessions run on the athletics track at Garon Park, away from traffic, and are run by 65 volunteers, according to the charity.

Riders come from all over Essex, it says, including retirees, schools, colleges, adult day centres, care homes and people recovering from operations and other health problems.

Its riders have been aged “from 0-97 years old so far”, the charity’s website says.

The group turned 10 in August 2024, and in December that year it collected the Health and Wellbeing award at the Southend-on-Sea City Council activity awards night.

In September it was one of six local projects to win a share of the SUEZ community fund, to expand its scheme that gives unwanted bikes from Southend’s recycling centres a second life.

How to ride with Just Ride

The charity has more than 160 bikes, from children’s bikes and adult two-wheelers to trikes and specialist cycles such as a platform bike for an electric wheelchair.

Sessions are on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays from 10am to noon, 48 weeks a year, at Southend Leisure and Tennis Centre, Garon Park, Eastern Avenue, SS2 4FA.

Riders are asked for a £2.50 donation, and carers and parents of children riding go free.

The charity, registered number 1179453, is run entirely by volunteers and says it is always looking for more to help at its weekly sessions.

Have you ridden or volunteered with Just Ride Southend? Tell us in the comments.