TWO Bury groups are celebrating their “royal” recognition.

For in the 60th anniversary year of Her Majesty’s coronation, Jigsaw and the Asian Development Association Bury (ADAB) are among 12 Greater Manchester organisations to receive a prestigious Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service.

The event was held at the Monastery Manchester in Gorton on Monday and the award carries the equivalent status for voluntary groups as the MBE.

Jigsaw, located in Kay Street, is a social, sports and befriending service for disabled people, while Heywood Street-based ADAB works with black, minority and ethnic groups to develop community cohesion.

Jigsaw, started 31 years ago, currently has 120 volunteers and helps 160 disabled people in Bury.

They hold many popular sports and social activities and some of the group are the current National Wheelchair Rugby League champions which they have won for the second time.

Paul McCormick, one of the co-ordinators who started as a volunteer 13 years ago said: “We have activities for both young and older disabled people in the borough and offer everything from horse-riding to 10-pin bowling and lunch clubs to social outings and meals out.

“Our befriending ser-vice for older people provides a vital lifeline, especially for those without family to support them.”

ADAB, established in 1997, helps improve the social, recreational and cultural needs of disadvantaged commun-ities across the town by offering free services and classes to up to 150 people a week.

The charity has a team of 37 volunteers from a range of professions including business, education, medical and engineering.

It also works in partnerships with organisations such as the British Council and Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service to deliver a wide range of courses including emp-loyment, citizenship and speaking English and fire safety.

It also offers a walk-in service.

ADAB chief officer Tan Ahmed said: “All our services and training courses are at no cost to the public, so we rely on funding.

“We have a very varied range of support services which help people from everything from speaking English to coping with dementia and mental illness.

“We live in a lovely peaceful town and want to encourage active citizen-ship and integration to maintain a strong community in Bury.

“We couldn’t exist without our amazing army of volunteers that include doctors, teachers and engineers.

“This award recognises their fantastic work for us.”

The awards were presented by the Lord-Lieutenant of Greater Manchester, Warren Smith, and the Vice Lord-Lieutenant Michael Oglesby.