A voluntary services group has been honoured with a quality award for the ninth year in a row.

The Merton Voluntary Services Council (MVSC) picked up the NAVCA (National Association for Voluntary and Community Action) Quality Award, getting top scores in many areas including governance and leadership, people and skills, and collaborative working.

In order for MVSC to qualify for the award it had to complete a detailed self-assessment of its performance along with a visit from an auditor to learn more about the organisation, its projects, processes and procedures.

Neil Cleeveley, chief executive of NAVCA, said: "Congratulations to MVSC for receiving the NAVCA Quality Award for the 9th year.

They received excellent scores once again with a large number of top scores, indicating that high quality services are being delivered across the borough."

The award was announced on Wednesday, May 20.