A group of volunteers based in Handsworth, Birmingham, have been awarded The King’s Award for Voluntary Service for 2024.

This is the highest award a local voluntary group can receive in the UK and is equivalent to an MBE. Grosvenor Road Studios was acquired by Black Voices in 2001 with the support of Arts Council England.

In addition to being one of the largest recording studios in the West Midlands, the studios boast a hub for arts and community development, a workspace of seven offices for creative, cultural and community businesses, a centre for arts training and development and a woodland garden for local children and their families. Grosvenor Road Studios is one of 281 local charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups to receive the prestigious award this year.

Their work, along with others from across the UK, reminds us of all the ways fantastic volunteers are contributing to their local communities and working to make life better for those around them. The King’s Award for Voluntary Service aims to recognise outstanding work by local volunteer groups to support their communities.

It was created in 2002 to celebrate Her Majesty The late Queen’s Golden Jubilee and was continued following the accession of His Majesty The King. 2024 marks the second year of The King's Award for Voluntary Service. Recipients were announced annually on 14th November, The King’s Birthday.

Award winners this year are wonderfully diverse and include volunteer groups from across the UK. Representatives of Grosvenor Road Studios will receive the award crystal and certificate from Derrick Anderson CBE, Lord-Lieutenant of the West Midlands next year.

In addition, two volunteers from Grosvenor Road Studios will attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace in May and June 2025, along with other recipients of this year’s Award. Carol Pemberton MBE, Founder and Managing Director of Black Voices, said: “We’re delighted that The King's Award for Voluntary Service has recognised the work of our volunteers in providing a creative, cultural and community hub for local residents and beyond.”

Barbara Brooks, who began volunteering at Grosvenor Road Studios after joining the Reggae Choir in 2019, said: “Every time I walk into the building I feel a sense of calm.

“I feel everything from the day coming off my shoulders. It’s not just healing the mind; it’s healing the body.

“Grosvenor Road Studios is a place of adventure because for new visitors, you don’t know what’s going on - there’s a possibility of anything happening.” Lexi Pegg attended choral workshops as a child, returned as a young adult as part of the 18-month Bridging Barriers programme and is now a regular volunteer at the recording studios.  

“Grosvenor Road Studios is home. It’s seen me through since I was a little girl singing in choirs, bringing me through tech and supporting me to find my own style with music.

“Grosvenor Road Studios has taught me the true side of community through the music industry and shown me that the best part of the music industry is community. These studios have a gift of really bringing in the best of the best people and also bringing the best out of people.” 

Grosvenor Road Studios, formerly the renowned Hollick & Taylor Studios, has been operating as recording studios since the late 1940s and during that time many firsts have been recorded there including all the original sound effects for Gerry Anderson’s Thunderbirds and Stingray, the fabulous brass band rendition of Brighouse and Ratrick’s The Floral Dance and the first Brum Beat album, Jasper Carrott’s Funky Moped.

It was acquired by the all-female a cappella quintet Black Voices in 2001, who continue to bring their diverse skills and knowledge of the music industry and community development to the studios. The building was awarded a Blue Plaque by Birmingham Civic Society in 2023 for its services to Birmingham’s music heritage. 

The historic recording studio celebrated its reopening last year after being awarded over a quarter of a million pounds in National Lottery funding to support its work in encouraging stronger community cohesion while increasing the building’s usage. This funding has enabled refurbishments which improve, modernise and future-proof Grosvenor Road Studios, ensuring that it remains a welcoming centre in the heart of the Handsworth community.