Three Isle of Wight residents honoured in Queen’s Jubilee Birthday Honours List (updated)

Her Majesty The Queen’s Jubilee Birthday Honours List 2022 marks the incredible public service of individuals across the UK in celebration of Her Majesty’s unprecedented 70 years of service.

Here on the Isle of three Isle of Wight residents have been recognised in the Queen’s Jubilee Birthday Honours with a British Empire Medal (BEM). They are Margaret Beacham from Ryde and Robert Jones from Rookley.

OBE for housing manager
Jamie Brenchley, housing needs service manager, has been awarded an OBE – Order of the British Empire – for services to homeless people, particularly during the pandemic.

Jamie joined the council in 2019 having previously worked for The Salvation Army as its service manager for homeless services on the Island.

He said,

“I am very humbled to be recognised for the part I play within our local system. However, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
“I am very blessed to work alongside the most wonderful colleagues, system partners and service providers who have and continue to collaborate on a mission to end homelessness here on the Island.
“I’ve spent my career trying to make a positive difference to the lives of Island people who have or are experiencing adversity. I am very proud of the impact and progress that I have led in recent years but am acutely aware that we are in the eye of a perfect storm.
“There is still so much more we need to do to ensure everyone on the Island has a place to call home. It is vital we continue on a positive trajectory and ensure we provide the very best services within the constraints of the resources we have available.
“The work I have done is not extraordinary, it has simply been about showing compassion and being kind, seeing people, not labels. Taking time to actively listen to people’s journey. Doing unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

Voluntary service to Young People in the Isle of Wight
The Chair of Ryde Unit, Sea Cadets, Margaret Beacham, has received a BEM for voluntary service to Young People on the Isle of Wight.

Margaret told News OnTheWight that she was, “truly humbled to be receiving this award on behalf of the Adult Volunteers at Ryde Sea Cadets”.

Highlights of Margaret’s service include:

Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, she has balanced her busy day-time role as a Legal Secretary with volunteering as Chair of Ryde Sea Cadet Unit, ensuring safe delivery of life changing activities for many young people.
She started volunteering in 2006, and quickly became Vice Chair and then Chair.
She has been actively engaged in Sea Cadet training throughout. A qualified Canoeing Instructor, she has consistently shown great professional skill, management and leadership to encourage cadets to plan and participate in canoeing activities from day events to week long camps including canoeing expeditions covering significant distances.
She has coordinated fundraising events to develop funding to rejuvenate the unit premises.
She coordinated and motivated additional local volunteers to complete redecoration of the unit making it more attractive to young people, significantly increasing cadet numbers.
She has also had the strategic vision to consider the wider engagement of the Island whilst developing the unit’s access to safe boating water.
She has negotiated and delivered a Sea Cadet boating facility at the Island Harbour Marina, on the River Medina. Sea Cadets
She developed a business model and working relationship with the Island Harbour company which has enabled cadets to gain easy access to the river, store boats and canoes and operate in a safe environment.

BEM for services to Public Libraries
Library Service Manager at Isle of Wight Council, Rob Jones, has been awarded a BEM for his services to Public Libraries.

Highlights of Rob’s service to Public Libraries include:

He is a passionate Library Service Manager, who firmly believes in the difference libraries can make to people’s lives.
Although working in a small, physically isolated authority, he has always been keen to support regional and national colleagues and is an active member of the Libraries Connected regional network, and was previously involved in the Association of Senior Children’s and Education Librarians.
He represented public libraries nationally on the Prison Library Service Partnership Board and took part in talks about the relationship between public and prison libraries, and was a sound voice for the sector during discussions relating to proposed changes to the procurement process.
Early in his career, he recognised the importance of computers in a modern library. While working as a school librarian, he pioneered the use of computers in school libraries, trained staff across the Isle of Wight, co-authored a text on school libraries and ICT, and helped his school become one of six in England chosen for the Libraries of the Future project.
In 2017 he worked with the Society of Chief Librarians and the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to pilot public library provision of assisted digital support for people completing the 2021 census online.This pilot saw the Isle of Wight become the first public library service in England to be commissioned through the Digital Training and Support Framework.
He helped the ONS plan for the wider roll out of online census returns, and provided invaluable learning to Libraries Connected, helping them to secure additional work and a significant amount of funding for public libraries.
Despite a significant budget, he has ensured that the last decade has been one of service development, engagement and creativity for libraries on the island. They now have a highly skilled and motivated workforce, and a high profile within the council and wider community.
He has led on two major service reviews; consulting with the public and working in partnership with community groups and local councils, and redeveloped how library services were delivered on the Isle of Wight, saving the council £60m over six years and ensuring that all 11 libraries remained open.
He built a successful partnership with public health, which secured funding and made resident well being key to the library service.
He takes pride in developing his team and encourages staff at all levels to create events, activities, partnerships and collections that promote the libraries and council’s objectives.
The success of this methodology is reflected both in the vibrancy of the libraries, and the creativity of their virtual offer during lockdown.