B4RN Volunteer Gets Queen’s Birthday Honours for Rural FTTP Build

The annual Queen’s Birthday Honours (2022) have today been published, and they include the odd figure from the United Kingdom’s broadband and telecoms sector. For example, Val Winchester from the village of Chapel-le-Dale secured a ‘British Empire Medal‘ for helping to dig B4RN’s full fibre (FTTP) broadband ISP networks.

The honours system is technically designed to recognise people who have made achievements in public life and or committed themselves to serving and benefiting Britain, such as by helping to make the lives of other people or communities better. Proposed awards are chosen by the honours committee and their decisions go to the Prime Minister and then to the Queen, who awards the honour.

In the case of B4RN, which often involves volunteers to help cut the cost of their builds in remote rural communities, the provider noted that Val has given her time for years (and in all weather!) to help bring gigabit full fibre broadband to remote homes and businesses (she first got involved back in 2016), including Ingleton Waterfalls Trail, White Scar Cave and Ribblehead Station.

The ‘British Empire Medal‘ she received is thus in recognition of that and her service to the community (her role involved raising funds, gaining wayleave permissions, organising work parties and encouraging involvement). She will receive the award at a later date and also has a Buckingham Palace Garden Party to look forward to.

Val said:

“The title ‘B4RN Champion’ always made me think of ‘Champion the Wonder Horse’ – which dates me – but the dictionary definition of ‘a person who vigorously supports or defends a person or cause’ is just right!

It’s been fascinating and rewarding – especially when I learn what B4RN has enabled the community to do that was previously impossible or difficult and when I think of future opportunities it opens up such as in community medicine. In many ways B4RN enables the community to participate fully in 21st century life – and I was so pleased that much of the dale had B4RN before the pandemic struck.

Many farmers dug for shares and even people who weren’t interested in B4RN got involved. People would dig their own gardens and for neighbours – ready to help in work parties, if you called on them. It was a joint project and I worked with Councillor David Ireton, as co-champions, during phase one of the project.”

Val is in good company, since she’s not the only B4RN veteran to receive such an honour. Back in 2019 George Martyn Welch also got one for “voluntary service to the community in South Cumbria“, while the operator’s former CEO, Barry Forde, joined Christine Conder in securing an M.B.E all the way back in 2015.

At the time of writing, we haven’t seen the full honours list, so there may well be other awards for those in the telecoms and broadband sectors.