I’ve had a look at the King’s Birthday Honours list this morning, searching under “political service” and “local government”.
I’ve only found two Lib Dems so far. That doesn’t mean that I’ve found everyone, so please, hive mind, let me kmow who I’ve missed. Lib Dems may be honoured for things that aren’t politics. And indeed, this was barely published when I discovered a third, honoured for non Lib Dem reasons. And the Noble Lord Packula found another I didn’t know about.
So the two I have found and the one our Charley Hasted told me about are:
Ruth Williams MBE
Ruth, from Orkney, received her award for political and voluntary service.
She’s had the job for many years of being election agent to our illustrious parliamentarians in Orkney.
Alistair Carmichael told me:
Ruth Williams has made a phenomenal contribution to Orkney life and Liberal politics for decades.
She is well known in the Scottish Liberal Democrats for having been the party’s most successful election agent. She first campaigned for Jo Grimond in several campaigns and then served as agent for Jim Wallace, Liam McArthur and myself.
Beyond that she is a stalwart of village life in Finstown and wider Orkney where her contribution to local organisations are too numerous to list.
Quite apart from that she is one of the kindest and most generous people you could ask to meet. As well as being my agent, she is godmother to my younger son.
If more communities had a Ruth our country would be a much better place!
Cllr Clare Apel MBE
Clare, a Lib Dem Councillor in Chichester and Chair of the District Council, received her award for “For services to the Voluntary Sector, to Local Government and to Holocaust Education.”
Two years ago she was shortlisted for the Local Government Unit’s lifetime legend award as Sussex World reported:
[Clare} said that, for all the hard work and all the challenges of local government, its real joy is working alongside people who want to make a difference. “You meet some amazing people doing incredible stuff quietly and you can really, in the area you cover, help people. I’d like to think, if you spoke to my constituents, they’d say ‘whenever there’s a problem, she’ll come out and see us.’ I don’t believe in doing things over email.
“I just feel very strongly that a lot of people get a tough bite of life, and if you can help them a bit, you should.”
Jess Brown-Fuller, MP for Chichester, told us:
Clare has been a respected Liberal Democrat Councillor for 40 years, as well as being a driving force behind holocaust education with the forming of Chichester Marks Holocaust Memorial Day. She was a founding trustee of Stonepillow and much more besides. A very well-deserved recognition and I am proud to call her a colleague and a friend.
Terry Stacy MBE
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