Volunteer appointed MBE for services to community

A volunteer from Shropshire has been recognised in the King's New Year Honours list for his services to the community.

Keith Bowley, chair of trustees at Bridgnorth Community Trust - which runs a food bank, debt advice service, and a youth and schools project - has been appointed an MBE.

Mr Bowley said it was "clearly a great honour" but felt he was receiving it on behalf of "the folks who run the different projects we are responsible for, rather than just me."

He is one of 15 people in Shropshire who have been recognised in the New Year Honours for their contributions to a wide range of causes.

Mr Bowley, who has been retired for about six years and has lived in the town for almost 40, said he could not imagine "just sitting retired", describing what he does as just a change from employed work.

His wife Linda initially thought the letter he received from the Cabinet Office might have been junk mail as it seemed "a bit too official."

She said he was very deserving of the recognition, and "does a lot of hours, particularly admin... helping these charities keep going".

Mr Bowley said he looked after the accounting, banking and record keeping, "so the folks gifted with helping people can concentrate on what they are good at".

To be an awarded an MBE was "certainly not something I was expecting or seeking", he said, adding he really appreciated the recognition for himself and all the other volunteers.

Elsewhere, Gerald Nickless said of his BEM for services to the community in Shifnal: "I love Shifnal. I've been born and bred here.. If people want anything doing I'll go and do it, within reason."

He listed about a dozen voluntary activities he had undertaken, from being a former town and district councillor to helping to found the town twinning association.

Mr Nickless, now 81, still collects for charity at events like the carnival and town carols, and said the medal was a "great honour".

His partner, Jenny Johnson, added: "If he was a stick of rock, he'd have Shifnal all the way through!"

Kathryn (Katie) Foster from Newport was awarded the same medal for services to Alzheimer's Research UK, and to heritage and the Shropshire community.

She said: "Whatever I've done, I've never done it with the idea of some kind of reward."

"Across the county and beyond, I've had so much help from so many groups of people, individuals, people who've helped," she added.

The 15 Shropshire residents recognised in the King's New Year Honours 2026 are:

Officers of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)

• Mr John Edward Gormley, of Market Drayton - lately governor HM Prison The Mount, HM Prison and Probation Service. For public service
• Mrs Advolly Xotshiwe Taylor Richmond, of Shrewsbury - plant, garden, social historian and champion, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. For services to equality, diversity, and inclusion in horticulture

Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)

• Mr Keith Henry George Bowley - volunteer, Bridgnorth Community Trust. For services to the community in Bridgnorth
• Mrs Kathryn Anne Crewe-Read, of Bridgnorth - lately headteacher, Bishop's Stortford College. For services to education
• Mrs Tracey Annette Dix-Williams, of Madeley - lately chief executive officer, Dudley Canal and Tunnel Trust. For services to heritage
• Mr Clive Jones - Volunteer, Market Drayton. For services to Blind Veterans UK
• Mrs Beverley Gail Morris, of Telford - rapid response co-ordinator, Department for Work and Pensions. For public service

Medallists of the Order of the British Empire (BEM)

• Mrs Sally Crawford Angell-James, of Telford - for services to defibrillator provision in Shropshire
• Mr Adrian Robin Emery, of Shrewsbury - transport volunteer, Royal Voluntary Service. For voluntary service
• Mrs Kathryn Coral Foster, of Newport - for charitable and voluntary service to Alzheimer's Research UK, to heritage and to the community in Shropshire
• Mrs Annabel Susan Alice Gittins, of Oswestry - chair, Association of Senior Children's and Education Librarians. For services to young people
• Mrs Alison Jane Humphreys, of Oswestry - for services to people with memory loss and dementia
• Canon John Thomas Naylor, of Market Drayton - music director, Nantwich Choral Society. For services to music
• Mr Gerald Thomas Nickless - for services to the community in Shifnal
• Mr Scott Saunders - For services to emergency response and to the community in Telford

The Lord-Lieutenant of Shropshire, Anna Turner, said: "it is a proud moment for our county that 15 Shropshire citizens have been recognised for their contributions to such a wide range of causes.

"I would like to congratulate them all for their efforts."

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