Select a region
A literary champion, a karate instructor, a racing sailor, a committed first aider, and a top gardener from Jersey have been honoured by King Charles III in his first Birthday Honours List.
Jennifer Bridge, Jason Hamon and William Harris received MBEs for services to the island community, while Roy MacDonald received the British Empire Medal for his work with the Jersey Kenpo Karate Association.
There was also reward for the Head Gardener at Government House, Stuart Crossan, whose services to the Crown were recognised with the Royal Victorian Medal (silver).
Jennifer Bridge, who served two terms in the States Assembly as Deputy for the St. Helier No 2 District, is being recognised for her services to the community as founder and Chair of the Jersey Literary Festival.
“It is the absolute honour of my life to receive this award and I really wish I could share it with my fellow members of the Festival Committee,” she said.
Pictured: Jennifer Bridge MBE (right) – here, awarding accreditation to All Island Media – is also Team Leader for Jersey's Living Wage campaign.
She first started the festival in 2015 to “share the pleasure and power of words” and has since gone on to bring dozens of esteemed writers to the island, while encouraging reading amongst young people.
Ms Bridge is also the founder of the Grouville Repair Café and Team Leader for the Living Wage Campaign in Jersey, and sits on the Employment Tribunal.
Jason Hamon’s services to the community began when he was aged just 12 and joined St. John Ambulance at as a cadet.
“My mother wanted to be a nurse although she never made it but I was always interested in the medical aspect of things. I had a cousin who was involved in the St. John Ambulance and she invited me along and I really enjoyed it,” Mr Hamon recalled.
Pictured: Jason Hamon MBE has been involved providing emergency care since he was a young boy.
He qualified as a paramedic in 1995 and developed a specialism for covering motorsport.
Mr Hamon has given his time to countless island events on a voluntary basis with St. John Ambulance and with Normandy Rescue, and been involved in other community initiatives ranging from Safety in Action to ‘Prison! Me!! No way!!!’.
Since 2011, he has also been closely involved in the island’s contingency planning for various emergency scenarios.
Deeply involved in supporting sailing in Jersey for the last 30 years, current Secretary and past Commodore of the Royal Channel Island Yacht Club William Harris said he was “pretty shocked” to learn his work had been recognised.
He first became a race officer in the early 1990s. For the past nine years, he has been race officer for the island’s oldest sailing event, the Gorey Regatta.
But it is his work as Chair of the Jersey Regatta – which attracts participants from Jersey, Guernsey, the UK and France every year – that has drawn special appreciation of many involved in sailing in the Island.
Mr Harris has also been a member of the Lions Club of Jersey since 1991, twice serving as President, and is a member of the Jersey Humane Society.
He has been a tutor and administrator for the Open University in Jersey and he spent 25 years as a member of the distance learning staff based in Jersey.
Robert 'Roy' MacDonald, who first learnt karate as a potential self-defence tool on the streets of Glasgow, introduced the physical and mental discipline to Jersey around 50 years ago.
Now the senior instructor of the Jersey Kenpo Karate Association, he has received the British Empire Medal for his commitment to teaching generations of islanders.
“They are of all ages and some have challenges with mental stress or with physical problems, so it's great to see them progress. When students bow at the mat, they leave a lot of difficult thoughts at the door. When one of them gets a belt, it's a great honour for us all,” he explained.
Pictured: Roy MacDonald – who fortunately never had to use his karate skills in Glasgow – has helped scores of youngsters achieve medal success.
By profession a remedial therapist – Mr MacDonald treats sports injuries – he has also been involved in instruction for the Duke of Edinburgh's Award and during a visit to the island by the Queen and the Duke organised a demonstration involving 20 children for the official party.
Another native of Clydebank like Mr MacDonald, Mr Crossan came to Jersey as a young man and established his own gardening business before responding to the opportunity to work at Government House.
He has gone on to work with six different Lieutenant-Governors – each of which has had their “own ideas” about what is required.
Pictured: Mr Crossan's gardening team – pictured here with the then-Governor's wife, Lady McColl – won a Parish in Bloom award for their work in 2014. (Rob Currie)
“…You have to work hand in hand with the governor and the lady of the house to create something new, incorporating any changes or features that are required, and there have been quite a few over the years,” he explained.
As well as serving the Crown, Mr Crossan is conscious of the important role the gardens play in the wider community.
“So many charities use the grounds for events and so you try to give every event the best day they can have,” he said.
Four other Channel Islanders have been honoured by King Charles III in his first Birthday Honours List.
Guernsey's Bailiff, Richard McMahon, has been awarded a Knighthood for services to the Crown and the community.
Founding Director of Guernsey's Sports Commission David Warr was awarded an OBE, Alan Gough has been awarded an MBE for services to music in Guernsey, and Kevin Adams is awarded the BEM for services to Sark.
Read more about them HERE.
Read more in tomorrow's Jersey Evening Post...
Comments
Comments on this story express the views of the commentator only, not Bailiwick Publishing. We are unable to guarantee the accuracy of any of those comments.