DURHAM Association of Boys and Girls Clubs (DABGC) will be officially presented with one of the country’s most prestigious accolades today.

The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, announced in June, will be handed over at a ceremony at the Ramside Hall Hotel, near Durham, at 7pm.

It is the first time it has been won by a full member of the National Association of Boys and Girls clubs.

All existing and former association members are welcome to attend at what will be DABGC’s first official event in more than 18 months.

County Durham’s Lord Lieutenant, Sue Snowdon, will make the presentation, the first among more than 100 trophies to be handed out on the night.

All reflect achievements of DABGC members, aged from eight to 21, as well as recognising the unstinting work of clubs’ volunteers.

A former association member, veteran international athlete, Alyson Dixon, will be singled out on the night by DABGC president, Frank Nicholson.

She will receive the president’s medal, marking the ex-Olympian’s outstanding achievements, notably setting a new global record when she won the World 50-kilometre ultra-marathon in Romania, in 2019, aged 40.

Founded in 1933, the association has 5,000 members in 75 clubs across County Durham, South Tyne and Wear and Tees Valley.