FOUR Bradford volunteers were recognised by Her Majesty The Queen at a special reception in London yesterday.
The volunteers, all active members of the National Literacy Trust, were invited to Clarence House to celebrate the charity's 30th anniversary.
Known as 'Literacy Champions,' the invitees included Gloria Heilbron Buelvas, originally from Colombia, and Simone Reid from East Bowling.
The National Literacy Trust aims to endow children, young people and adults with literacy skills, and has worked with the community in Bradford since 2014.
Ms Buelvas grew up in Barranquilla, Colombia in a household that loved to tell stories.
Her formative years led to her becoming a teacher, then a community worker, and she is now a family activity coordinator at the Gateway Centre.
Ms Buelvas has established an annual writing competition, as well as a pen pal scheme between children in Bradford and Colombia.
Ms Reid is the founder of the Dandelion Organisation, which specialises in the personal leadership development of young people.
She suffered from a difficult home life when growing up, and found solace in reading books such as Michael Morpurgo's 'Twist of Gold'.
Now a mother and a successful business owner, she uses her inspiring story and love for reading to help children envision a brighter future, in the same way the books she read during her challenging childhood helped her.
Ms Buelvas said: "It was a very emotional experience to have my work recognised by the National Literacy Trust and Her Majesty herself.
"This event has helped me see the wider picture of the work we do and made me even more proud to be a Literacy Champion."
Ms Reid said: "This event showed me that being a Literacy Champion is more than I even imagined; I feel like I’m part of a larger, critical movement that runs from Her Majesty The Queen all the way through the nervous system of some of the hardest to reach and vulnerable areas of society.
"I can’t wait to see how deep the impact of this movement will be when the Trust gets to celebrate another 30 years from now."
The National Literacy Trust works in 20 areas across the UK - including Bradford - where poverty and low literacy significantly affect people’s lives.
The Clarence House reception was a tribute to the over 1,000 Literacy Champions who continue to transform lives by sharing the gift of literacy.
This includes 88 Literacy Champions making a difference in Bradford.
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