CHESTER charity champion Margaret McKeegan has been awarded a newly revived medal in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list.
The 78-year-old, who carried the Olympic Torch through Chester last month, has been given the British Empire Medal (BEM), which was recently reinstated in the UK after a gap of nearly 20 years, for her tireless fundraising for local hospitals.
For the past three decades the former nurse, from Newtown, has organised events to raise money for blood pressure monitors, cardiac rehab units, disabled people and various charities around the Chester area.
As well as this, Margaret also lends her steadfast support to wounded soldiers serving in the armed forces overseas, sending them countless shoe boxes of luxury treats and goodies regularly to brighten up their days.
This has already led to her being declared Chester’s Person of the Year at the Chronicle-ScottishPower Your Champions awards in 2010.
Her kindness and generosity has now been recognised with the BEM award, which has been resurrected by David Cameron for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, after being scrapped as part of the classless society initiative in 1993.
It recognises volunteers who regularly make a positive difference to their communities.
But although Margaret said it was ‘an honour’ to be awarded the medal, which will be presented to her in an official ceremony by Lord Lieutenant of Cheshire David Briggs at Dukinfield Castle, the grandmother said all that matters most to her is getting the maximum amount of support for ‘my boys out there’.
“I don’t want publicity for myself, I’m not interested – it’s all about those injured men out there, some of whom have nobody,” she said.
“The Army is my life and this medal is for those lads.
“Of course it’s an honour as well but I just hope it brings about some more support for them, I would love for more people to get involved with helping them.
“But I will always continue to do everything I can for them.”
Major John Harker from the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, a treatment centre for injured military soldiers that Margaret regularly fundraises for, said he was ‘over the moon’ for her.
He said: “We’re all thrilled Margaret has been recognised for all she does, she is a fantastic woman and this is totally deserved.”
