EditorMILFORD HAVEN: Mum who turned tragedy into hope receives top royal honour for mental health foundation
A Pembrokeshire mother whose response to devastating personal loss has helped transform the lives of young people across the region has been honoured with the King’s Award for Voluntary Service — an accolade equivalent to an MBE and the highest honour a voluntary group can receive in the UK.
Megan’s Starr Foundation, based in Milford Haven, received the award for its work supporting young people facing mental health challenges across Pembrokeshire. The foundation was set up by Nicola Harteveld following the death of her daughter Megan in 2017, and has spent nearly a decade building a community of care and support for some of the most vulnerable young people in the area.
The award was presented at the Dizzy Bear Café on Milford Haven Waterfront on Monday, March 30, by His Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant of Dyfed, Miss Sara Edwards, who joined Nicola, her family and Megan’s Starr volunteers for the ceremony. The opening address was given by Deputy Lieutenant Dr Chris Martin OBE DL, with the High Sheriff of Dyfed, Mr Andrew Phillips, and Lord Lieutenant Cadet Aeron James also in attendance.
Nicola said the honour belonged not just to the foundation but to Megan herself. “We are incredibly proud to share that Megan’s Starr Foundation has been honoured with The King’s Award for Voluntary Service 2025,” she said.
Nicola Harteveld, founder of Megan’s Starr Foundation:
“This prestigious national honour reflects the dedication, compassion, and tireless commitment of our incredible volunteers, who give their time and energy to support young people through some of life’s toughest challenges.
“And most of all, it belongs to Megan, whose beauty, kindness, and love lives on in everything we do.”
For 2025, Megan’s Starr was one of just five organisations across the whole of Wales to receive the award — an extraordinary achievement that underlines the scale and quality of the work being done in Milford Haven.
The King’s Award for Voluntary Service was created in 2002 to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee, previously known as the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service. Unlike many honours, the award is given for life — meaning Megan’s Starr Foundation will carry this recognition permanently.
Lord Lieutenant of Dyfed, Miss Sara Edwards:
“It was a pleasure to present the King’s Award for Voluntary Service to a truly deserving group of volunteers. The work Nicola and the Megan’s Starr Foundation does has an important impact on the area’s young people and they should be extremely proud.”
Nicola is well known in Milford Haven as a community figure — she also serves as a Milford Haven Town Councillor — and her commitment to the welfare of young people in the area extends well beyond the foundation’s formal activities.
The foundation’s work focuses specifically on mental health support and education for young people, helping them build resilience, confidence and understanding in an area where specialist services can be harder to access than in larger urban centres.
The King’s Award presentation marks a landmark moment for a charity that has been built, year by year, on the dedication of unpaid volunteers who give their time out of commitment to their community and to Megan’s memory.
If you are struggling with your mental health, the Samaritans are available 24 hours a day on 116 123, free of charge.
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