A NUMBER of local people feature in the New Year Honours List for the roles they have played in the community. Newcastle, Kilkeel, Downpatrick and Ballynahinch residents are amongst those to have received awards, ranging from Medallists of the Order of the British Empire (BEM), to a medal for military service.
Frank Donnelly, from Saul, outside Downpatrick, has been awarded an MBE for his role in promoting, and championing, disability sport, whilst in a similar vein, the chairman of Newcastle Athletic Club, Deon McNeilly, has been honoured with a BEM for his services to athletics. Another BEM recipient is fellow Newcastle resident, Archie Bingham, chairman of the Newcastle and Mourne Cancer Research UK committee, who received his award for fundraising for the charity. And in Mourne, Kilkeel’s Denis McKee has received The King’s Volunteer Reserves Medal. Warrant Officer McKee’s military career spans over 30 years. The King’s Volunteer Reserves Medal is a very prestigious honour. Only 13 of the medals may be awarded in a year.
Each of the recipients have spoken of the surprise and sense of honour they felt after discovering they had been firstly nominated, and later approved, for their respective accolades. Frank Donnelly said he was “shocked, delighted and truly humbled” to have been included in the list of awardees. “I am thrilled to be surrounded by this great team of people and this award is not just for or about me; it’s for all the volunteers and players I have worked with over the years. No person is an island, working together makes a huge difference. “I am very grateful to have been chosen, but I want the volunteers to know this is for them just as much as it is for me,” the newly named MBE recipient said. Likewise, Deon McNeilly said his inclusion within the honours list is a recognition of all the work that takes place at the local athletic club and he was keen to share the praise with the entire athletics community in the town. Other locals to have been awarded honours include Ballynahinch residents Claire Forsythe, Derek Preston and Anne Marie Kelly.
