Home Affairs Correspondent
The BMHC Scout Group, based at the British Muslim Heritage Centre in Manchester, has been awarded the King’s Award for Voluntary Service (KAVS) 2025, regarded as the MBE for volunteer groups. The accolade recognises the group’s extraordinary growth and transformative impact over the past decade and is especially notable as it is rarely bestowed on individual Scout groups.
Founded in November 2014 as Greater Manchester’s first Muslim Scout group, it began with three volunteers and a handful of children. Now in its eleventh year, the group has become a national pioneer in Scouting, serving more than 150 young people aged 4–18, supported by over 25 trained volunteers and an active parent network. Its success is rooted in a distinctive blend of traditional Scouting and faith-based values.
BMHC Scout Group members: Ayat Akhtar, Amaya Shaikh and Ayra Akhtar. (Credit: BMHC Scout Group)
While fully open and inclusive, the programme weaves core Islamic principles, integrity, service to others, self-discipline and reflection—into everyday Scouting, nurturing confident, compassionate, and capable young people who contribute positively to their communities.
A defining feature of the organisation is its strong commitment to female leadership, with much of its weekly work led by Muslim women from diverse backgrounds.
Shakila Ellahi, Group Lead Volunteer, expressed immense pride in the recognition. “This recognition belongs to every single volunteer who gives their time week after week,” she said. “As a Muslim faith-based Scout group, we take great pride in serving both the Muslim and wider community, creating opportunities for growth, friendship, and understanding. It motivates us to keep growing, learning, and serving together.”
Ashraf Ali MBE FRSA, founding trustee, welcomed the national honour. “This award recognises a decade of dedicated service in developing young people, empowering women, and strengthening community cohesion,” he said. “Our volunteers—many of them local women from diverse backgrounds—have been at the heart of this journey, inspiring the next generation to make a difference.”
BMHC Scout Group members: Yahya Ali and Yunus Ali. (Credit: BMHC Scout Group)
The award has been warmly welcomed across the Scouting district and by civic leaders. Anthony Boggiano, Chair of Manchester South Scout District, hailed the KAVS as the “highest possible accolade,” praising the group’s “incredible inclusivity, its dedication to empowering young people and women, and its profound positive impact on our community.”
Dr Afzal Khan CBE, MP for Manchester Gorton, described the announcement as “fantastic news for Manchester,” noting that the volunteers “change lives, giving young people confidence, skills and a sense of belonging, while championing women’s leadership in our communities.”
Cllr Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council, added that the group “reflects the best of our city’s spirit,” empowering women and young people to contribute meaningfully to society.
Chair Nasar Mahmood OBE congratulated the volunteers, noting that their dedication to nurturing young people through “faith, service and leadership reflects the very values our Centre stands for.”
Feature photo: The Manchester-based British Muslim Heritage Centre (BMHC) Scout Group has been honoured with The King’s Award for Voluntary Service 2025, in recognition of its extraordinary growth and transformative community impact over the past decade. (Credit: BMHC Scout Group)
