Monday, December 30, 2013

Recognising work in local communities

Recognising work in local communities
The re-introduction of the British Empire Medal (BEM) has continued to provide the opportunity to recognise an even greater number of people playing their part in their local communities. In total, 74% of awards in the New Year’s Honours List are for people who are actively engaged in charitable or voluntary work within their local community. Some notable examples are:

Trevor Jarvis, Ambassador for Dementia with the Alzheimer’s Society, who has used his own personal experiences to improve the lives of people affected by dementia
Christina Selby, who founded Hats4Heroes in 2010 and has since sent nearly 10,000 knitted hats, each containing a chocolate bar, to the British forces in Afghanistan as a way of boosting morale
Susan Lomas, who has spent 20 years ensuring community cohesion as a volunteer supporting the Appleby Gypsy and Traveller Horse Fair in Cumbria
The MBEs include awards to Barry and Margaret Mizen, Joint Founders of the Jimmy Mizen Foundation, set up to help young people play a positive role within their communities as a positive way to remember their son, who was murdered in an incident of violent crime.

Read the full New Year Honours 2014 lists here.