Committed Frodsham and Helsby teacher Martin Smiddy gets MBE from Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace

Dec 24 2009 Chester Chronicle

PRINCE Charles presented a well known Frodsham PE teacher with an MBE for services to education and young people in Frodsham.

Martin Smiddy, who was at Frodsham High School for 33 years until its closure and now works at Helsby High School and with local primary schools, was awarded in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.

Mr Smiddy received the MBE from the Prince of Wales at Buckingham Palace.

“It was absolutely fantastic,” said Mr Smiddy, who was accompanied by wife Kate, a PE teacher in Warrington and children Richard, 23, Helen, 19, and Charlotte, 16,

“I told the prince that I would love to have been his personal trainer and he joked that he trained twice a day as it is. I said if ever you need any help with that, give me a shout!”

Mr Smiddy, 56, was nominated by the parents of a Frodsham High pupil with brittle bone disease who was mentored by the committed teacher.

At first reluctant to leave the safety of his wheel-chair, the student, whose bones are prone to fracture, built up his strength by doing laps of a badminton court with the aid of a walking frame as well as sessions in the fitness suite. He can now walk short distances using a stick. The pupil is currently enjoying life at university.

Mr Smiddy, who started at Frodsham High in 1976, has relocated to Helsby High where he was once a student himself and where his children were pupils.

Mr Smiddy, who lives in Frodsham, runs the fitness suite in the school where he works with overweight children and one disabled student on a one-to-one basis .

Outside school, he runs a Saturday lunchtime fitness club at Frodsham Leisure Centre.

However, Mr Smiddy faces an uncertain future because he only has a 12 month contract at Helsby High School.