SIX good causes in East Lancashire have received Queen’s Awards for Voluntary Service, it has been announced.

Buckingham Palace confirmed the honours, from an overall total of 281, on Sunday night, to coincide with the anniversary of Her Majesty’s coronation.

One of the recipients has been Community Defibrillators for Rossendale, which had the distinction of fitting the first public heart-start monitor, working with the North West Ambulance Service.

Group spokesman Andrew Walmsley said he was “proud” of the achievement, on behalf of the organisation, which has installed 28 devices across Rossendale and Ramsbottom over the past nine years.

He added: “(It is) the highest award a voluntary group can receive in the UK, equivalent to an MBE.”

Another beneficiary is the 1st Oswaldtwistle (St Pauls) Scouts, for their outstanding community efforts.

DanceSyndrome, the Accrington-based charity which provides workshops for people with and without disabilities, has also been singled out.

The Friends of Towneley Park, in Burnley, which has been a prime mover in the lottery-backed efforts to improve the venue for a number of years, were also included among Lancashire’s recipients.

Hyndburn Green Spaces Forum, which lobbies to promote and preserve the borough’s parks, is also on the list.

And the Magdelene Project, a Christian-based counselling service based in Bacup, rounds off East Lancashire’s contingent.

Sir Martyn Lewis, who chairs The Queen’s Award’s independent committee, said: “The record number of nominations for this year’s Queen’s Awards for Voluntary Service proves that volunteering at a grassroots level continues to thrive.”

Nominations for this year’s awards officially open on September 13.