Kynren’s 1,000 Cast & Crew have been presented with The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service at a special ceremony in Bishop Auckland.
Eleven Arches, the production company behind the UK’s must see live-action show Kynren – An Epic Tale of England, invited all volunteers, known as Archers, who are involved in the spectacular performance, to a private ceremony on the Kynren stage on Saturday 1st September, where they were presented with The Queen’s Award by Mrs Susan Snowdon, Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant in County Durham.
The prestigious honour recognises the tireless work that the 1000 strong cast and crew of volunteers have put into bringing the history of the North East to life in a spectacular show, and is testament to their year-round dedication to producing it to world-class standards.
Addressing the Archers, who gathered on the 8000 seat Tribune, the Lord-Lieutenant said: “You have as volunteers wholeheartedly embraced the challenges that a project of this magnitude raises. You’ve done it, and you’ve provided a focal point for the town and indeed the region’s ongoing development, attracting visitors from near and far to Bishop Auckland and the North East.
“People have blossomed in many different ways, developing new skills, taking part in apprenticeships, gaining confidence, all of which has been so beneficial to volunteers, and in particular to those who have been successful in their search for work.
“This award is not lightly given and it’s not easily gained. It recognises hard work, vision commitment and dedication. It’s hardly surprising that therefore these awards are highly prized and recognised as the hallmark of excellence.”
Co-Founder and CEO of Eleven Arches, Anne-Isabelle Daulon, who received The Queen’s Award on behalf of all the Archers said: “I don’t believe in miracles but I believe in people working together to produce miracles, and Kynren is truly a miracle.
“It’s cause for celebration to be acknowledged with the highest award on this journey as a group of extraordinary people.”
All Archers stood to sing God Save the Queen as the award was presented and also enjoyed an afternoon picnic together on the Kynren site, before putting on another world-class performance for visitors on the evening.
All Archers have collectively contributed more than 500,000 hours of their precious time since our professional training began, bringing Kynren to life as a world-class visitor attraction.
Kynren is currently receiving wall-to-wall five-star reviews, that have placed it at position number-three on TripAdvisor, of the Top Five Performances in the UK. This year Kynren has returned for 17 spectacular shows, with two performances left until Saturday 15th September.
The rave reviews are further endorsement of the passion and commitment of the entire cast and crew, in taking the show to extraordinary world-class levels.
