VOLUNTEERS and young people from radio station Gateway 97.8 were invited to St James's Palace to collect the prestigious Princess Royal Training Award.

Princess Anne personally congratulated volunteer Cameron Woodberry, 17, who is a member of the station's popular Radio Club youth group.

Station Director Danny Lawrence and Youth Worker Aris both attended the event, which brought together different training groups from around the country.

Earlier this year, the station was awarded the Princess Royal Training Award for the second time in three years.

The radio station, which broadcasts across Basildon and East Thurrock, triumphed following a rigorous assessment process.

The award, which has been personally confirmed by HRH The Princess Royal, is given to those who are an exemplar of the best employee learning & development.

Cameron Woodberry with Princess Anne.

Gateway 97.8 which provides quality local radio to Basildon and Thurrock on 97.8FM, is already a winner of The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service, and was the first community radio station in the UK ever to achieve this.

It offers training to under 18s through its regular Saturday Radio Club, giving those members of the community the opportunity to become the radio presenters of the future.

The Princess Royal, President of the City and Guilds of London Institute, has approved 53 Awards to a range of organisations across the UK and Ireland, for their outstanding training and skills development programmes, all of which have shown a significant positive impact on their organisation and people

The station directors, staff and volunteers were delighted to accept the award and Mr Lawrence said: "After months of hard work, I am delighted that we have achieved this status for the second time. We had an amazing day at the Palace collecting the award."

Director, Ros Connors added: "I believe this award is a testament to Gateway's continued commitment to media training which has always been second to none, and that which offers young people valuable life-skills through team building especially in these challenging times.

"Since setting up Gateway Community Media CIC in 2006, we have grown from strength to strength.

"I am therefore delighted HRH The Princess Royal has again recognised the marvellous efforts made by our excellent training team, and bestowed upon us this cherished award."

Kirstie Donnelly MBE, Chief Executive of City & Guilds said: "It's encouraging to see such a diverse range of employers continuing to apply for a Princess Royal Training Award. Despite the obvious challenges in recent years, they have shown unwavering dedication to nurturing their workforce through outstanding training and skills development, resulting in a lasting positive impact.  

 "As skills shortages and job vacancies rise, investing in training and development can help to increase productivity and harness and retain talent for future growth. Not only is this good for business and the workforce – it is also beneficial for wider society and contributes to thriving local economies. These organisations exemplify the transformative power of investing in people, and we are honoured to celebrate their accomplishments." 

Gateway 97.8 is the local community radio station for Basildon and Thurrock on air 24/7 on 97.8FM and online.