Meet the Kent community heroes on 2025's New Years Honours list

KentOnline / KMTV

2025s new years honours list has been released and a total of 26 people that have provided their services to Kent are in it.   From OBE's to BEMs the list shows those in Kent that have profound impacts to the community   Wilhelmina Cooper who has dedicated her time to charitable causes across the county is one of them.

Transcript

00:00I ripped open and I read the first couple of lines and I burst into tears and I said to myself,

00:07oh my parents would have been so proud of me.

00:10A British Empire Medal is awarded to individuals who have had a positive impact to their local

00:15community through providing exceptional service and Wilhelmina Cooper from Canterbury has done

00:21just that.

00:21You are to be recommended to his majesty the king for the for the honour of British

00:27Empire Medal in the New Year's Honours List 225.

00:30The short citation for the award would read for services to charitable fundraising and

00:36to the community in Kent.

00:38Wilhelmina has contributed her time across many different sectors from helping hundreds

00:42of disadvantaged children have access to music making to being the director of the Samaritans.

00:48From the Samaritans I was headhunted by Relate marriage guidance.

00:51I went and worked with them and I helped raise money to buy them a new building.

00:56I've always bought new buildings you know and then I worked with the Cyrenians which

01:01was a homeless charity in Canterbury and again we bought a house for people who were homeless

01:07and since then I've been doing other work.

01:10I'm now permanently I'm the general manager of the Deal Music and Arts where we do a lot

01:16of work with young children and the community which is great.

01:19For more than 50 years she has given her time to a number of different causes and has not

01:24until now realised the worth of her contributions.

01:28It was a great shock really you never think once when that happens you never think you

01:32deserve it of course you know you say oh golly I can't be for me when he was and that's great.

01:39From looking around her office the contributions she has made to the community are clear

01:44but she is not the only person from Kent who's being recognised for their hard work.

01:49David Ward is getting an MBE.

01:51He's a founder and CEO for Abigail's Footsteps, a charity supporting bereaved parents.

01:57We always talk about the importance of fundraising but the raising awareness

02:01is equally as important and any recognition we can give towards the tragic situation that

02:07still goes on in this country with stillbirth and the poor facilities that exist in many

02:11hospitals still so the more we can do and if this award helps recognise that and the

02:16more we can challenge hospitals to improve their bereavement care then fantastic.

02:20Another is the longest serving Doctor Who actor Tom Baker

02:25who is being awarded with an MBE for his services to television.

02:29Don't you mean the infirmary?

02:31No I do not mean the infirmary I mean the sickbay you're not fit yet.

02:34Not fit I'm the doctor.

02:35No doctor I'm the doctor and I say that you're not fit.

02:38You may be a doctor but I'm the doctor.

02:41A total of 26 people were on this year's list for their services to Kent

02:45for making a positive impact to those in the county.

02:48Kristen Hawthorne for KMTV

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