Eleven special Devon residents have received awards in The Queen’s New Year’s Honours, among them young Max Woosey from Braunton, for services to fundraising.
Max, who aged 10, decided to camp out in a tent to raise money for North Devon Hospice, and ten more equally deserving individuals, received their awards from The Queen’s representative in Devon, the Lord Lieutenant for Devon, David Fursdon.
Max, who has been awarded the British Empire Medal, has raised over £638,000 for the North Devon Hospice, raising the money by sleeping in a tent gifted to him by his elderly neighbour, Rick Abbott, who died of cancer in 2020. Max’s outdoor adventure still continues, way beyond what he’d first envisaged.
Speaking at the award ceremony, Max said:
“It feels absolutely incredible to be awarded this. I never thought it (sleeping in his tent) would last this long. It’s been an incredible experience though, and I’ve not regretted any of it. I’m so grateful to everyone who has donated.”
Max’s fundraising efforts have so far raised enough money to fund 16 community nurses for North Devon Hospice. Asked what’s kept him going while sleeping in his tent, Max said: “Knowing that the money was going to such a good cause.”
Also attending the ceremony, held at the Commando Training Centre in Lympstone, were:
- Andrew Willard, Plymouth, who received a Member of the British Empire, MBE, for services to HM Prison and Probation Service
- Verna Pollard, Plymouth, a foster carer who received an MBE for services to children
- Dr Miles Joyner, Exeter, Founder of the Exeter Leukaemia Fund, who received an MBE for services to people suffering from blood cancer in Devon
- Anne Muriel Stapleton, Plymouth, who received a British Empire Medal, BEM, for voluntary service to Young People
- Mrs Janet Webber, Sidmouth, Director of Development for The Mission to Seafarers, who received a BEM for services to women in the international maritime sector
- Mrs Emma Jones, Plymouth, who received a BEM for services to the community in Plymouth during COVID-19
- Gerald Millington, Otterton, who received a BEM for services to local history in Devon and Hertfordshire
- Jill Diprose, Dawlish, who received a BEM as Founder of ‘Activities Interests Music Support’, for services to families of children with special needs in Dawlish
- Brian Stanley Smith, Newton Abbot, who received a BEM for services to the community in Newton Abbot, particularly during COVID-19
- And Lt Cdr Louise Moxworthy, from Exeter, who received the Royal Red Cross (Second Class) ARRC – a military decoration – for excelling in senior nursing roles.
Speaking afterwards, the Lord Lieutenant for Devon, David Fursdon said that being able to give such awards to people is one of the best things he does.
He said:
“Being able to thank these individuals for what they have done, show recognition for them…what can be better than that?
“What this does is highlight the quieter, steadier people who just, in their communities, deliver year on year services to their fellows and peers.
“These are modest people. They don’t seek the lime light, and some may even be embarrassed to be here today. I love that understated nature, and yet there they are, delivering day after day after day.
“People have stepped up during COVID in a way that you would not have imagined, and the number of people who have learned to volunteer and are now appreciated by their community has increased.
“In a world full of bad news, this is just unalloyed good news, isn’t it!”
You can listen to what Max Woosey BEM, and the Lord Lieutenant for Devon, David Fursdon, said after the ceremony.