Call to bring out your unsung heroes!
With the Queen’s New Year honours announcement still fresh, Buckinghamshire’s Honours and Awards Committee is actively seeking the county’s unsung heroes for future acclaim.
Lord Lieutenant Sir Henry Aubrey-Fletcherset up the committee last year to make sure a broader reach of people who give exceptional service to the community get royal recognition.
Fifteen residents of Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes have just been honoured by the Queen within the Order of the British Empire, but Honours Committee Chairman Alexander Boswell is convinced the county has more unsung heroes.
He said that with around 60,000 volunteers serving in almost 4,000 voluntary and community organisations,he was sure Buckinghamshire had more people who deserved recognition.
‘We have such a rich and diverse county and there are so many unsung heroes doing wonderful things for the good of their community, often without any expectation of reward or recognition,’ he said. ‘We want to celebrate this in the most appropriate way. A national honour or award is a way of saying “thank you” to those who have made a significant contribution.’
Potential nominees could be involved in charitable or voluntary activity, or be doing innovative work that makes a significant difference in the community, said Alexander.
He said making a nomination was easy, using the Government’s nomination website: https://www.gov.uk/honours/nominate-someone-in-the-uk The County Council website provides information and guidance: http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/about-your-council/council-structure/lord-lieutenant/
The Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes Lieutenancy Office works closely with the Cabinet Office and Government departments to review and contribute to the nominations made by people for local residents.