We are delighted to share with you that our good friend and Adapto advocate, Bob Thomas has been awarded the MBE (Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire), in recognition of his outstanding service to the community in the latest Queen’s honours list.
This is in honour of the fantastic contribution he has made to Brockham Emergency Response Team (BERT), a volunteer community resilience group for the residents of Brockham and beyond.
Most recently, when Covid-19 arrived on his watch, without warning and without an instruction manual, Bob’s response was, at every turn, practical, thoughtful and relentless. By virtue of his vision and leadership, BERT was completely re-purposed to help those in greatest need:
- foodaid was created to support those who had suddenly lost jobs and income;
- prescription and grocery deliveries were organised (and continue to this day) for the most vulnerable;
- volunteer marshals at NHS vaccination centres helped accelerate deployment of life-saving vaccines (and will do so for many months to come);
- and many more initiatives were created to help our community thrive in necessary isolation.
A statement issued by the BERT trustees said “Without a doubt, lives were saved and enriched as the right actions were taken with immense urgency to make our community safer. Through it all, Bob Thomas was quietly, selflessly, and effectively leading the charge.”
Congratulations, Bob from all at Adapto. We’re very proud of you!