Heather's Award

heather Thomas - British empire medal

Bakewell's Heather Thomas Included In

Queen's Birthday Honours List.

Bakewell resident and founder of The Goboka

Rwanda Trust, Heather Thomas, has been

included in the Queen's Birthday Honours List

for 2019.

The 2019 Queen's Birthday Honours are

appointments by some of the 16

Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II

to highlight and reward good works by citizens.

The Birthday Honours are awarded as part of

the Queen's official birthday celebrations

during June. Heather is a recipient of the

British Empire Medal for her work both in her

local community and in Rwanda, where she

established a charity working on comminity

projects with some of the poorest people of

this country, devastated by a Genocide in 1994.

For 26 years, Heather has run a local 'Keep Fit'

and exercise group which is supported by

Bakewell Methodist Church, where she is a

member, and who give all the subscription monies collected to local charities identified by the members themselves. Heather 'inherited' the running of the group when the previous leader had to step down through family illness, and the attendees didn't want their weekly sessions to cease. The group gives around £1,600 per year away locally, but it is very much more a social group than a formal fitness class, meeting also on occasions for meals out etc.

Well known locally, much of Heather's working life was spent in local government, but she has worked as a volunteer with a number of organisations and charities over many years including Bakewell & Eyam Community Transport, Rotary and Aquabox, Sir Richard Arkwright's Masson Mills Band (who supported #ChallengeDerbyshire) and Bakewell Churches Together, as well as being part of a team from Bakewell Methodist Church who have served Christmas Day lunch for nearly 20 years to people who would otherwise be alone. Additionally, she regularly helps several 'older friends' who she takes out for social and shopping trips, prepares meals for, and simply spends time with, realising that people can quite easily be socially isolated as they age and become frail in older years.

Since 2008, following her initial visit to Rwanda, Heather

has spent much of her time fundraising and raising

awareness about the work of The Goboka Rwanda Trust,

the small UK registered charity she founded and who

fundraise in this country to support projects identified by

the Trust's partners in Rwanda.

Now retired, Heather travels the country and beyond,

talking to groups about the work of the Trust. All work for

the Trust is voluntary, and all monies received go direct

to the Trust's bank account in Rwanda from where it can

go straight to the grass-roots projects which have been

identified. Projects range from the building of Health

Centres in areas where there has previously never been

any health provision, the training of youth in carpentry or

sewing schools, to the purchase of livestock - cows, goats,

sheep, pigs, bees and chickens, which only cost a few

pounds but can really change lives for poorer families.

Links have also been created between schools in the UK

and Rwanda and Heather visits schools in both countries to report on progress. A monthly Café Rwanda and craft fair takes place in Bakewell Town Hall run by volunteers, which brings in regular income for the Trust. Nominated for her Birthday Honours Award by 92 year old Leonard Twigg of Bakewell who has known Heather for many years, Leonard says he felt it high time she was rewarded for all she does for others, and is delighted and proud that his hard work on her behalf has come to fruition. Leonard heard from many people in support of Heather's application, and has kept a copy of all letters submitted so that Heather may see just how highly she is regarded by all those she works with and helps.