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The former banker who spearheads the annual Soup Kitchen, the founder of the island's annual shoebox drive, a disability champion and a dedicated Sea Cadets leader are among the people from across the Channel Islands recognised by King Charles III in his Birthday Honours.
In Jersey, Leslie Norman, Rose Pallot and Richard Robins have been made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE), while Ronald Perchard has been awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM).
In Guernsey, Jurat David Robillard has been made an MBE, while Jo Reeve and Marguerite Talmage have been given a BEM.
Meanwhile, the Chief Officer of Guernsey's Ambulance Service, Mark Mapp, has been awarded the King's Ambulance Medal.
Express spoke to the individuals who have done so much for the islands’ communities…
Leslie Norman, MBE for services to people with learning disabilities
Pictured: Leslie Norman has been made an MBE for services to people with learning disabilities in the community.
For many decades, Leslie Norman has been a fierce champion for increased independence for islanders living with learning difficulties, working with Les Amis and Acorn Enterprises to create opportunities and help change attitudes in the community.
Sitting on the charity's board because of his background in accountancy, Mr Norman was then persuaded to become the first chairman of Acorn Enterprises which provides work and training opportunities for Islanders who have a disability or long-term health condition. His brother, the late Len Norman, was then president of the States Social Security Committee.
More recent years included a period of more than a decade as chairman of Les Amis, working to grow the support available – something which, at times, has involved a “fight” for funding and help, including with Government.
Reflecting on the award, Mr Norman paid tribute to the work of the Chief Executives of Les Amis and Acorn, Shaun Findlay and Steve Pearce.
Noting that he feels “a bit guilty”, he said: “The people who really do the work are the frontline staff.
“I'm a great believer in leading from the front and then letting people get on with it and that's what they've done," he said.
Mr Norman also took a moment to pay tribute to his family, including his late brother and father, both former Constables of St Clement.
"I'll accept it for them," he said.
Rose Pallot, MBE for her work with Mustard Seed Jersey
Pictured: Rose Pallot said her late husband and father, who both strongly supported Mustard Seed Jersey.
Rose Pallot is being recognised for service to communities through Mustard Seed Jersey, Rose Pallot founded Mustard Seed Jersey in 1998 – an organisation which grew out of a home-spun aid initiative that began with asking friends to collect items in a shoebox for distribution in Romania.
Now, Mustard Seed exports have grown to multiple lorry-loads and thousands of shoeboxes, including a recent focus on Ukraine since the 2022 invasion by Russia.
A total of 1,500 shoeboxes were sent directly to Ukraine last year, while a further 2,150 boxes went to Romania, with some of the latter consignment going to refugees from the conflict in Ukraine. The work has continued during 2024, with the latest consignment being loaded onto a lorry at Mustard Seed HQ this week.
Mrs Pallot paid tribute to the efforts of loved ones in pushing the charity forward, including her husband Phil, who died in 2011, aged 80, and her father, Vernon Hélie, was another who worked closely with the charity over many years until his death in 2022, aged 96.
“It’s been a real team effort, with a large number of people involved as volunteers – I couldn’t have done it on my own,” she said.
Richard Robins, MBE for services to the Shelter Trust Jersey
Pictured: Mr Robins spearheads the charity's annual Tinathon campaign.
Former banker Richard Robins is perhaps best known for stacking tins and ladelling soup, as the driving force behind two fixtures in the Shelter Trust calendar.
He was first recruited in 2011 for the soup kitchen by his wife Susie, and has been heavily involved in organising the event since then, with his financial experience leading to his appointment as Shelter's treasurer.
Although he stepped down as a trustee and treasurer for the charity late last year, Mr Robins remains involved as organiser of the Tinathon and Soup Kitchen.
“As a retired banker, I look after the financial side and I have loved every minute of it,” he said, evidently relishing the event’s unusual business model.
“Soups are provided free by the outlets – most from the hospitality sector – and bread is donated by Vienna Bakery and some smaller bakeries, while Island Energy supplies gas, again at no charge.”
Asked for his reaction to the special honour, he described receiving royal recognition as a “very pleasant surprise”.
Ronald Perchard, BEM for service to the Jersey Sea Cadets
Pictured: The previous Lieutenant-Governor presenting Lt (SCC) Ron Perchard with the ‘Commanding Officer's Award’ for significant contribution to the Sea Cadets Corps in 2017. (Simon Langlois)
Ronald Perchard was first introduced to the Jersey Sea Cadets by a friend in October 1967, and he thought thinking he would go along to find out what it was all about.
Now, he has been training generations of Jersey's young people in the skills of the sea for almost 57 years – and being honoured for it, he said, was "totally unexpected".
He isn't sure how many cadets he has worked with over the years, but is sure they total in the "thousands", according to the merchant seaman by profession.
"Many say that they never realised how much they enjoyed their time in the Sea Cadets until after they had left," he added.
"Over the years, I've taken many cadets away to various navy and army establishments. It's given me another life and I've really enjoyed the discipline," he said.
The role is a varied one, but among the top annual staples have been ceremonial duties, with Liberation Day being a favourite.
Each Liberation Day, Mr Perchard joins colleague Trevor Rayson to make his way across Liberation Square through the crowds and into the former harbourmaster's office to fly the flags recreating the first moments of the island's freedom from German Occupation on 9 May 1945. It is a moment he has relished for the past two decades.
Jurat David Robillard, MBE for services to the Church and Bailiwick of Guernsey
Pictured: Jurat David Robillard said he was left in a state of "shock and disbelief" when he found out.
Jurat David Robilliard has built an extensive career in public service, holding such posts as Principal Officer of the States Assembly and Constitution Committee, Her Majesty's Deputy Greffier and Secretary to the Bailiff of Guernsey.
He was elected as a Jurat in 2017 and is a member of the Deanery Synod.
He said when he found out about being awarded the MBE his first reaction was one of “total shock and disbelief”.
“My next reaction was that it is a great honour – you don’t do these things thinking that it would be nice one day to be recognised this way, you do your public service,” he told Express.
Marguerite Talmage, BEM for services to community
Pictured: Marguerite Talmage's passion for volunteering started very young.
Veteran volunteer Marguerite Talmage was waiting to board a plane to Alderney when she was informed that she was being awarded the British Empire Medal.
Inspired by her mother, volunteering has been a passion of hers since she was a girl, and something she continued because of the friends that can be made along the way.
"I joined the Pony Club Junior Committee when I was 14 and haven't looked back. I just really enjoy being involved in causes that I really believe in and joining teams that have the same enthusiasm," Ms Talmage told Express. "That's one of the things that comes out of volunteering and community involvement - is making friendships that last.
"I feel very honoured that I've had the award and I'm receiving the award, and I was made aware of it in April. In fact, I was in the departure lounge at the airport to go to Alderney when I got the phone call.
Her most public-facing work in recent years has been on the board at Grow – a charity which aims to provide a safe and secure working environment for people with learning and other disabilities.
While the BEM is a personal honour, she said it was a good reflection on the charity at large.
"It's so rewarding to go to Grow and see the impact we have been able to provide for our crew, adults with learning disabilities, is having such a positive impact on them now."
Ms Talmage has also worked with Floral Guernsey for around two decades and worked on the St Peter’s Floral team since 2007 as her home parish went on to win several national accolades, including six gold medals, and also introduced a therapy dog service to the island – previously unchartered territory.
"We now have over 30 dogs who regularly visit schools, care homes, hospital wards and so on," she explained.
Ms Talmage says she has no plans to exit the sector soon.
“I just really enjoy being involved. Of course,with Grow which is enduring and something I'll continue to be involved with. I just enjoy volunteering down there,” she said.
Jo Reeve, BEM for services to Government in Guernsey
Pictured: Some of Mr Reeve's work was adopted by the Jersey Government.
Brexit hit the Channel Islands hard, but Guernsey was prepared thanks to Jo Reeve, Director of International Relations and Constitutional Affairs for the States of Guernsey.
Mr Reeve undertook analysis of the ramifications of Brexit if the UK public decided to leave the EU, with some of that work adopted by the Governments of Jersey and Isle of Man too. He is also being recognised for his work during the pandemic to shore up the island's supply lines.
"I was bowled over and honoured to have find out I had been nominated let alone be granted this award," he told Express.
"It was a total surprise. For me, this is an award on behalf of the fantastic external relations team, including the offices in Brussels and Caen. It is great to have all of their hard work recognised. The team are dedicated and care deeply about promoting Guernsey, its interests and defending our position. I am proud and lucky to work for the States of Guernsey, alongside so many amazing professionals.
"I have always wanted do a job where I can give something back."
While he said work was "enjoyable", he admitted that it was sometimes "challenging" and thanked his wife – also a "committed civil servant" and his two young sons, Alex and Felix – for their support.
Mark Mapp, King’s Ambulance Medal
Pictured: Mark Mapp is believed to be the third person awarded the KAM in the Channel Islands.
What started out as a hobby, and led him into a 30-year career, has now resulted in Guernsey's Ambulance Chief being awarded by the King.
Bestowed through the national Honours System, the King's Ambulance Medal is a relatively new award, launched in 2011 as the Queen's Ambulance Medal.
It is granted in recognition of good conduct and exemplary service by individuals who have worked for the ambulance services across the British Isles for more than ten years.
Mark Mapp is believed to be the third person awarded the KAM in the Channel Islands - following his predecessor as Chief Ambulance Officer, Jon Beausire, and their Jersey equivalent, Jason Hamon.
Mr Mapp's career could have taken a very different path though, if he hadn't said yes to an invitation from a friend of his, more than three decades ago.
"A friend invited me along to cadets when I was 15, so I went along once and then just kept going. It was a hobby really," he said.
"I really wanted to join the emergency ambulance service but back then you had to be 21 so I went to Plymouth and studied engineering and I came back and joined the patient transfer service, which I really enjoyed. I've loved every role I've worked in. I've been out on the lifeboat, and I've been hanging off a cliff, and I have saved lives but that's not all of it. It's working with the team here, and at Health, and the other blue light services, and JESCC. Everything I've achieved has been down to all of them, and the people I've worked with. It's not really about me, it's about the team."
Mr Mapp told Express that he is very proud of the entire ambulance service and crew, and what they collectively and individual achieve through the emergency, statutory, and voluntary sectors they cover.
"I'd like to thank anyone that supported me, my family, my colleagues, or my friends throughout the last 30 years. Because they've also contributed to the person I am professionally and personally, and if it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be where I am today, so I've got to thank all those people."
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