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| Formation | 16 May 1938 (as the Women's Voluntary Service for Civil Defence) |
|---|---|
| Founder | Stella Isaacs, Marchioness of Reading |
| Legal status | Charity |
| Purpose | Helping people in need |
| Headquarters | Beck Court, Cardiff |
| Coordinates | 51°32′18″N 3°07′49″W / 51.538303°N 3.130287°W |
Patron | HM The Queen |
President | HM The Queen |
| Catherine Johnstone CBE | |
| Website | royalvoluntaryservice |
Formerly called | Women's Voluntary Service (WVS) 1938–1966 Women's Royal Voluntary Service (WRVS) 1966–2004 WRVS 2004–2013 |
The Royal Voluntary Service (known as the Women's Voluntary Services (WVS) from 1938 to 1966; Women's Royal Voluntary Service (WRVS) from 1966 to 2004 and WRVS from 2004 to 2013) is a voluntary organisation concerned with helping people in need throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It was founded in 1938 by Stella Isaacs, Marchioness of Reading, as a British women's organisation to recruit women into the Air Raid Precautions (ARP) services to help in the event of War.