Haverhill duo and Clare community stalwart honoured
Their selfless work in the community has earned two people from Haverhill and one from Clare recognition in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list.
Henry Wilson is made an MBE for ‘services to his community’ through his role as projects director for Haverhill charity, Reach Community Projects.
His fellow Haverhill resident, Di Pannell, has been recognised for her ‘services to amateur music making in the community’ with the award of a British Empire Medal (BEM).
And Derek Blake, of Clare, has been made an MBE for his ‘services to education and the community’.
Henry admitted that he initially ‘thought nothing of’ the envelope bearing the name of the Cabinet Office when it dropped through the letterbox of his home in Fisher Close, as it was just before he was due to attend the visit to Castle Manor Academy of the Earl of Wessex on May 10, to which he had been invited – but that soon changed.
He said: “I didn’t bat an eyelid until I opened it and I thought ‘wow, oh yes’.
“I can’t remember what my first thought was, but I think it was along the lines of ‘what would my mum and dad say’, because they have both died.”
Henry was the centre manager for Christians Against Poverty when it was first started in 2005 by the River of Life Community Church.
Three years later Haverhill Foodbank was launched and in 2010 the whole enterprise became REACH Community Projects.
REACH now has seven paid staff and 85 volunteers dedicated to helping people improve their lives.
Henry, 52, added: “In many respects, for me, if this furthers our cause, if it opens other doors, bring it on, I will take it.
“If we can lift more people out of poverty and more people will listen to us about what we are doing then bring it on.
“I am just absolutely honoured. I thought ‘crumbs, wow, what have I done.’
“I thought ‘I haven’t really done anything, why me, there must be some others who have done more than me’.
“I’m just a little poor kid brought up in a poor family in Haverhill.
“There’s no way in the world I could even begin to remotely do what we do (at REACH) on my own.
“We’ve got a fantastic team, this core team of seven. We feel we can take on the world at times.”
Di Pannell is someone who’s name will be very familiar to a huge number of people in her home town of Haverhill – and beyond.
She retired last year after a 40-year career teaching at primary and middle schools in Haverhill, Newmarket and Bury St Edmunds.
Among the schools she worked at were Chalkstone Middle, Castle Hill Middle and Westfield Primary Academy, all in Haverhill, and Paddocks Primary School, in Newmarket, and St James Middle School, in Bury St Edmunds.
Although a maths and science teacher by profession, Di, who is married with two children and lives in Churchill Avenue, has been awarded her BEM for her services to amateur music.
She has been involved with Haverhill Silver Band for some 20 years and for the last three years has also been conducting the Hadstock Silver Band.
She has also been involved with the Haverhill Youth and Community Band for about 13 years, ran the Polished Brass youth group for six years and at at one stage had a 10-year spell with the Soham Comrades Brass Band.
“I used to run lost of clubs throughout the time I was in the schools, “ explained Di, 61.
“I was running two, three or four clubs a week, but I’ve done a lot of youth music outside the school.
“I was doing lots of extra stuff in school, brass groups and putting on performances and I did a lot of PE clubs as well.
“I still can’t believe it (the honour) has happened because I just enjoy it really and I want other people to enjoy it too, it’s as simple as that.”
Haverhill Silver Band President, Len Jacobs, said “We are delighted that Di’s dedication and commitment over a long period has been recognised in this way.
"Alongside her husband Richard, their efforts have enhanced the lives of many local musicians, both young and old.”
Derek Blake, who lives in Hermitage Meadow, Clare, is a former senior manager with the Bank of England.
He was the founding vice-chairman of Stour Valley Educational Trust, the trust that set up Stour Valley Community School in Clare, the first free school in the country to have its business plan approved.
The school, which opened in 2011, enjoys an excellent reputation and is now firmly established as part of the fabric of Clare, with the trust also running the primary school in the town.
Derek is currently chairman of the members of the trust.
It is the second time that Derek has been a founding governor of a school; he was the founding chair of Roding Valley High School in Loughton, Essex, in the early 1990s.
Derek’s other service to the community in Suffolk has included being chairman of Sudbury and District Citizens Advice Bureau and chairman of the Theatre Royal in Bury St Edmunds, where he organised a series of long-distance fund-raising walks.
He was also a member of Employment Tribunals in Bury St Edmunds and London for 18 years.
His current involvement includes being a trustee of Clare Castle Country Park, which has just been awarded a £1.5 million grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, and chairman of Clare Walkers,, which led the bid last year for Clare to become a Walkers are Welcome town.
Derek said: “I am delighted and more than a little humbled to receive this honour.
“It was completely, just so completely unexpected. I thought, ‘this is a hoax’, perhaps it is, but all the paperwork looks very official.
“The chance to set up and run a secondary school from scratch was a once in a lifetime opportunity for the local community in Clare, and it was a privilege to be part of the amazing team of people who came together to make it possible.”
