ORGANISATIONS and individuals have been queuing up to congratulate a Swindon charity which has been honoured by the Queen.

The Swindon Scrapstore in Pinehurst has been granted the Queen's Golden Jubilee Award in recognition of its outstanding commitment and contribution to the community.

The Scrapstore collects clean, non toxic waste from businesses and then offers it to members, who help fund the charity by paying an annual fee.

Supporters hope that the award will persuade more businesses to get involved with the charity, which is supported by the likes of Zurich and Dulux.

Members include schools, church groups, playgroups and youth schemes, pensioners groups, individuals and training centres.

Olivia McCann, project manager of the Scrapstore said: "We are absolutely delighted to receive this award, we hope it will help us raise our profile.

"We get tremendous support from businesses such as Zurich and Triumph, who donate bras to us, but we need even more support. One thing we really need is A4 paper for schools." The Swindon Scrapstore was founded by Anne Billingham and Liz Aifbitt from the town's branch of Friends of the Earth in 1985.

Mrs Billingham, 50, spent 17 years with the store and says businesses often think that they have nothing it would find useful.

She said: "Companies would say they have nothing for us but then we go and have a look and there are lots of things that someone with the imagination of a child or artists can use.

"I'm delighted for them, this award shows how much they provide a relevant and needed service for the community."

Pam Jackson, headteacher of Pinehurst Infant School, praised the Scrapstore as a "brilliant resource" that gave schools access to materials they would not usually be able to afford.

She said: "That is great news, it is an excellent resource that we have been using for a long time. For example, wallpaper costs £5 a roll, but from the Scrapstore we can get odd rolls that we can use for backing for a display. We save money and the people there are always very helpful."

Home office minister Lord Filkin said: "This new, prestigious annual award gives well deserved recognition to some of the unsung heroes of our communities the hundreds of thousands of voluntary groups across the UK that play such an essential role in our daily lives.

"We owe every one of these winners an enormous debt and I am very pleased their work is being recognised in this way during Volunteers Week.

"Community activity such as this is a vital resource, it develops the individual, boosts local communities and enriches the nation."

To find out more about how the Scrapstore can help you call it on Swindon 513982.

www.swindonweb.com/scrapstore