Chief Officer of AVOW, John Gallanders, has been awarded a British Empire Medal in honour of his continued service to the community across Wrexham County Borough.
John was nominated for the honour by members of the community, in recognition of his dedicated work throughout Wrexham County Borough and North Wales during the COVID-19 pandemic. He has been instrumental to the community response during COVID-19 and has lead the AVOW COVID Response Team. As well as being the third sector and community representative in several networks whilst North Wales navigated the pandemic.
Nomination details
AVOW’s initiatives in the community have included recruiting nearly 1000 volunteers to support local services such as essential shopping, prescription collections, liaising with support services, befriending, dog walking and a diverse variety of community support. As well as leading the community response AVOW, and John Gallanders have represented on several networks from local authority, health, social care and national programmes to ensure a community and third sector voice was heard. Alongside the community support, AVOW and John Gallanders have supported organisations and community groups across Wrexham County Borough to keep operating throughout the pandemic and navigate legislation, policy and regulation changes including facilitating funding applications, organisational support and creating space for organisations to meet with local and national authorities. John has represented the Wrexham County Borough community and the third sector for a number of years beforehand.
What are the British Empire Medal Nominations:
The Queen’s Birthday Honours List 2021 demonstrates the extraordinary efforts made by individuals in all four nations of the United Kingdom during the pandemic. 323 individuals from across the UK were nominated for a British Empire Medal (BEM). The List includes those who have worked throughout the crisis, putting others before themselves – from caring neighbours, frontline and community heroes to those supporting the UK recovery.
In a year that has truly tested the resolve and determination of the country, almost 23% of recipients are recommended for COVID-19 service. These include recipients who have given charitable and voluntary support to communities, service in health and social care, and those who have provided critical infrastructure support. The majority of awards are for the contributions people have made in their communities. Of those receiving an award, 62% are recognised for their community work.
To find out more about the BEM 2021 please visit the UK Government website and for a full list of candidates please see the Queen’s Birthday Honours List (PDF)
Congratulations John Gallanders, BEM!
