A RAGLAN man was invited to a garden party at Buckingham Palace recently after being nominated for his volunteer work.

Trevor Phillips was put forward by Monmouthshire County Council (MCC) for his work with the Grass Routes bus service in recognition of his volunteer work towards the rural bus scheme.

Mr Phillips was one of the founder members of the Grass Routes service and helped MCC to set it up 13 years ago after they approached him following his community council scheme in Raglan where volunteers took residents by bus to hospital. It proved so popular that a Grass Routes service was rolled out throughout the county and the scheme now has 5,000 members who pay a one-off membership of £5 for life, relying on volunteers like Trevor to take them to Cwmbran for shopping trips.

The council now has three buses based in Usk and three in Caldicot and run five days a week.

Attending with his wife Marlene, on 16th May, Trevor said it was a great honour to be recognised for his work.

“We had a lovely day there,” he said. “There were a lot of people attending and we did see the Royals in the distance, but we strolled through the gardens and the grounds and had a wonderful time.”

From 1st June to 7th June, MCC will mark Volunteers’ Week - an annual celebration of the fantastic contribution millions of volunteers make across the UK – by recognising the success of members of the community who give their time and talents freely.

Within Monmouthshire, almost 2,000 volunteers support the county council to make a positive impact on the quality of life of their communities. As many as 50 volunteers support youth workers, willing groups regularly survey and maintain rights of way, while events organised by the council owe much to the involvement of those acting as marshals or providing refreshments and first aid. 

In outlying areas, the council’s Grass Routes scheme offers a bus service to residents who have difficulty accessing public transport and this relies heavily on volunteers to drive vehicles. 

Owen Wilce, the council’s lead officer for coordinating and developing volunteering said: “Volunteers Week is an opportunity to raise the profile of volunteering within Monmouthshire and to recognise and look for ways of making the experience even better.”

Monmouthshire’s Chief Executive Paul Matthews added: “The importance of voluntary contribution to the community cannot be underestimated. 

“We are very grateful for their dedication as well as the skills and valuable experience they offer.  

“We’re acknowledging the contribution of volunteers with a number of posts on our social media channels.”