A churchwarden from Hove who was honoured by the Queen has been to Windsor Castle for a medal ceremony.
Barbara Bush, a churchwarden at St John the Baptist, Hove, became an OBE – an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire – for services to the pensions industry, diversity and charity.
She was recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours last year when the honours list was published belatedly in October because of the coronavirus pandemic.
And unsurprisingly, few award ceremonies have taken place since then, although they recently restarted.
Barbara Bush, who served as the human resources (HR) director at the Pensions Regulator at its head office in Brighton, was delighted to receive an invitation to an investiture on Tuesday 14 December.
She received the insignia of the Order of the British Empire from Princess Anne at Windsor Castle.
She said that chatting to the other award winners was both humbling and inspirational.
And she added: “I was struck by how many of the awards are given to people who work tirelessly and often unrecognised in public service and charity across the country.
“Now, more than ever, we are so grateful for their commitment and for all they do.”
She also thanked all those who had worked at St John’s and across the Diocese of Chichester during the challenging time since the pandemic started.
She said: “We achieve little alone and are at our best when we work together.”
