THE woman behind the ‘Homes for Ukraine’ Minehead group has been nominated for a Queen Consort Coronation Champions Award.

Only 500 of the certificates will be awarded nationwide as part of the official King’s coronation celebrations in May.

Sarah-Jane Umfreville has been put forward by the Royal Voluntary Service (RVS), which is asking charities and organisations, including the NHS, to nominate their most dedicated volunteers aged from 14 years for eight categories as diverse as mental health, the environment, and culture.

King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla will both sign the certificates, which will be awarded by the RVS to some of the country’s most incredible volunteers.

Ms Umfreville has been described as the driving force behind the ‘Homes for Ukraine’ Minehead group, which she established to support local residents registered on the Government scheme, Ukrainians looking for a sponsor, and those already arrived.

The group also acts as a communication centre to help those trying to complete visa applications.

She completes visa and grant applications, deals with emergency housing requests, books flights, offers airport pick-ups, and runs a monthly community meal for guests and hosts.

Sadly, Ms Umfreville has even had to arrange counselling for families grieving for loved ones who have died fighting the Russian invasion back home.

She highlighted the wider support received from local residents who have donated clothing and toys, and her thanks to Alcombe Methodist Church and Lynne Wooldridge for the use of a hall for the monthly community lunches as well as helping to organise a service to mark one year since the war began and to remember those family members still in Ukraine or who had died.

Ms Umfreville has also worked with the West Somerset Food Cupboard, which provides food parcels for newly-arrived guests and emergency food parcels for struggling families.

She said: “Going forward, there is still a huge demand for sponsors as family members wish to come to the UK, but also now for rental properties as some are coming to the end of their sponsorship and need to move on.

“This then means help in furnishing a home, so donations of household items will be required to help those who have nothing.”

Minehead Rotary Club spokesman Richard Robbins said local Rotarians were ‘pleased and not surprised’ to hear of Ms Umfreville’s nomination.

Mr Robbins said: “Here in Minehead, between July and December, 2022, the Rotary worked with Sarah-Jane on 26 applications for financial assistance from displaced Ukrainians who were being hosted in the Minehead area.

“These applications were processed, and, with the help of the Rotary Foundation Ukraine Disaster Relief Fund, the club was able to make grants totalling £9,500.

“In addition, the Rotary club acquired children’s Christmas presents for all the Ukrainian children in the Minehead area and distributed them in time for Christmas.

“With the help of the West Somerset Food Cupboard we were also able to provide Christmas hampers to seven Ukrainian families.”

The work of the ‘Homes for Ukraine’ Minehead Group can be followed on its Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/groups/654079425799448.