RE:ACT has been awarded the High Sheriff's Award in recognition of the charity's work locally and internationally.

He visited the disaster response charity's headquarters in Chilmark last month to find out more and meet volunteers.

Presenting the award, Major General Ashley Truluck, High Sheriff of Wiltshire, said: “I had no idea the full breadth of what you’re doing, not just in the UK with Covid operations, but worldwide as well, and the way that you’ve mobilised the expertise of ex-service personnel.

"I’m absolutely delighted to give RE:ACT a High Sheriff’s Award. These are not easily given, but we’ve selected you for this in recognition of all the work you’ve done – not only in Wiltshire but across the whole of the UK, and indeed in Nepal and Mozambique and lots of other places as well.

"RE:ACT is a fantastic organisation, not very well known, which is very much a reflection on the modesty of the people working here. You ought to be better known and I hope this will help raise your profile a little bit.”

This year volunteers were deployed to Australia to help communities hit by the devastating wildfires and have been responding across the country during the coronavirus pandemic.

Richard Sharp, the CEO of RE:ACT, said: “It’s an honour and a privilege to receive this special award in recognition of our charity’s services. I’m proud to accept this on behalf of our entire team of staff and volunteers.

"South Wiltshire has a strong military community and I’m sure they’ll get behind us in recognising the achievements of a small but determined group of people stepping up to serve the nation. Although the majority of our people are military veterans, we also have many from other backgrounds too that share our ethos and values, and this award is credit to every one of them.”