THE Mayor of Bury hosted a reception for two voluntary groups who have recently received the prestigious Queens Award for Voluntary Service.

Cllr Michelle Wiseman welcomed representatives from Bury Blind Society and from Bury Involvement Group (BIG in Mental Health).

Also in attendance were Cllr Mike Connolly, leader of Bury Council; Barry Dixon, Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Greater Manchester; council chief executive Mike Kelly, and representatives from the two groups.

Cllr Wiseman said: “It was a pleasure to meet two such outstanding Bury voluntary groups. They do a fantastic amount of good work for local residents, and fully deserve to be formally honoured by the Queen. I wish them every success in the coming years.”

Bury Blind Society is a charitable organisation that provides a variety of services to enhance the quality of life for all visually impaired people in the borough. It was founded in 1922 and for many years solely held social events.

The society became properly established in 1994 with premises, staff, volunteers, a committee and trustees. It relies on legacies, voluntary donations, fundraising and grants to carry out its work.

Bury Involvement Group (BIG in Mental Health) has been running since 2007 and provides a strong independent voice, helping people with mental health issues and reducing stigma. It runs support groups to promote good mental health recovery and support people to manage their mental health on a day-to-day basis.

Any adult who consider themselves to have a mental health condition is welcome to attend the groups, which are free and do not require a referral. For more details: visit http://buryinvolvementgroup.org/