CASTLE Cary volunteer groups were celebrated by the Lord-Lieutenant of Somerset earlier this month.

The Lord-Lieutenant, Mohammed Saddiq, came to The Market House on February 7 to learn more about the invaluable work the volunteer groups do in the community.

Castle Cary town councillors met Mr Saddiq and gave him a short tour of the building, visiting the Tourist Office and museum, with the tour ending in the assembly room on the top floor.

READ MORE: 105-year-old Castle Cary war hero awarded France’s highest honour

READ MORE: 200 houses for Castle Cary

The assembly room featured an exhibition of displays from more than 30 volunteer groups, and Mr Saddiq handed all the groups a certificate to acknowledge their time and commitment to their voluntary group or charity.

This was followed by three presentations by local groups, Cary Cares, Tools for Self Reliance and the Litterati and speeches by Mr Saddiq and Judi Morison, chair of Castle Cary Town Council (CCTC).

A CCTC spokesperson said: “The occasion concluded with a delicious buffet lunch for everyone in the Shambles downstairs, prepared by a fabulous team of volunteers.

“It was a wonderful occasion, and a fantastic opportunity for our volunteers to get together and to be recognised for their valuable work in the community by His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Somerset, Mr Mohammed Saddiq.

“CCTC would like to express their sincere thanks to Mr Saddiq for being part of the celebrations and creating such special memories for our volunteers.

The event was formed as part of CCTC’s commitment to celebrate volunteering in the community, following a discussion at a community conversation (an open public meeting) on what is the definition of a volunteer.

It was agreed that it is someone who regularly commits their time to a voluntary group or charity as an act of service to their community.