Chris RandThe Queen Edith’s Community Forum is thrilled to announce that our chair Sam Davies has been awarded an MBE in the 2020 Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to the community.
Click here to listen to a terrific BBC radio interview with Sam (YouTube)
Sam says: “This is an extraordinary and unexpected honour, which I’m proud to accept on behalf of the whole area. We know there is a huge amount of untapped goodwill in many local communities, and in Queen Edith’s during the events of last March and April this did not take long to come to the surface.”
“With many local people needing support and reassurance, we got together with local churches and other organisations to organise a quick response. Our efforts centred on strong communications, with door-to-door leafleting followed by a daily email newsletter reaching over 1200 local households. Through this we were able to build a network of over 250 volunteers to help residents who asked for it, with essential tasks such as shopping and collecting prescriptions. This scheme is still running, through a 24/7 telephone service administered by an amazing team.”
“We followed this with the launch of a weekly community Food Hub, providing free basic food items to those in need. This has been held weekly for over four months, through yet another incredible group of volunteers. Food supplies have come from local businesses and food networks, as well as the unprecedented generosity of local residents, who have donated nearly £10,000.”
“Over the summer we were able to organise other community-inspired free events, such as a book and toy exchange, exercise groups for children and a series of ‘Summer in Queen Edith’s’ walks and activities. And we’re not stopping here: we want to ensure that this area works for every single resident, whatever their age or needs.”
Sam lives on Hills Road with her husband and two sons, and is currently studying for a Masters degree at University College London. As well as chairing the Queen Edith’s Community Forum, Sam helps ensure local residents and the wider community are aware of local issues through her Sam4QE website and mailing list.
The Queen’s Birthday and New Year Honours lists are each published in the official newspaper of the Crown, The Gazette. The 2020 Birthday Honours was announced in a Gazette supplement on Saturday 10 October 2020. Following approval from Her Majesty the Queen, many additional people have been honoured this year for their contributions tackling the virus on the frontline and in their communities.
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