A FAMILY support charity could get an award from the queen after spending three decades helping those in need.

Home-Start Oxford, based in Blackbird Leys, has been nominated for a Queen's Award for Voluntary Service by the local councillor Linda Smith.

The befriending charity trains volunteers to visit new parents in their home and help with a number of different issues.

They will find out whether they have won the award, which is the highest honour in the UK given to volunteer groups to recognise their outstanding work, next May.

Ms Smith said: "“I was delighted to nominate Homestart Oxford for this prestigious award which honours volunteer organisations for the increasingly vital work they carry out in our communities.

"I can remember being a new Mum and being completely unprepared for the exhaustion and unrelenting nature of the job which can also be very isolating, HomeStart volunteers have helped many local families through that difficult time and our community is stronger as a result of it.”