RETIRED councillor Pam Potts – once famously described at a hustings meeting as “the housewife from Coates” – has been awarded the BEM in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List.

Mrs Potts, who at the time of the hustings meeting – prior to the last election when candidates were being quizzed by the public- was chairman of the local Tory association, was honoured for services to the community.

For the best part of 20 years Mrs Potts served as a local councillor for Benwick, Coates and Eastrea and also became first mayor of Whittlesey when the town council switched from chairmanship to mayoralty. She also served for some years as chairman of Fenland District Council and was first chairman of the council’s governance committee.

Mrs Potts, 74, said she was “thrilled” by the honour which has been widely welcomed across Fenland.

ALSO honoured was the teacher who headed up a special school that fell victim to council cuts has been awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.

David Pask, formerly teacher and manager at EOTAS Tuition and Support, March, was given the honour for services to education.

Last year more than 1,000 people backed a Facebook campaign protesting against the closure of a skills centre at Longhill at the tuition centre in Burrowmoor Road, March.

Ann Thomas, who started the Facebook campaign, said: “When my son first went to the skills centre he couldn’t read or write.” She said the centre helped him get an apprenticeship and “he would never be where he is today without them.”

The Longhill centre had only been open three years before the council decided to axe it. The centre had classroom space for small group work and a workshop area for teaching practical skills such as design technology and motor vehicle maintenance, together with construction skills such as bricklaying, painting and decorating, plumbing, carpentry and joinery.

A TRAINING officer who works for Cambridgeshire Catering Services has been awarded the MBE.

Mary Bliszczak joined the Cambridgeshire school meals service in 1976 as a catering assistant in Peterborough before becoming the school caterer at Orton Longueville School. During this time she completed her City and Guilds qualification at Peterborough College on day release and in 1983 progressed into the role of Area Supervisor.

In 1991 Mary moved into the role of Training Officer for Cambridgeshire Catering Service (CCS) and six years ago was promoted to her present role of Training Co-ordinator. With her team, Mary delivers craft, theory and all mandatory courses.

In addition, she develops training programmes for a variety of internal courses which take place at the CCS training kitchen in Huntingdon. Mary’s responsibilities also include menu planning and recipe testing.

Councillor David Brown, Cabinet member for Children and Young People’s Services said: “I hope this award will serve as an inspiration not only to school caterers throughout Cambridgeshire, but also to the many council staff who work so hard and so selflessly for our residents.”

Cambridgeshire

KNIGHTS BACHELOR

Prof Richard Evans, Regius Professor of History at University of Cambridge, for services to scholarship.

Prof William Gowers, Royal Society Research Professor at University of Cambridge, for services to mathematics.

ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE (OBE)

Dr Mary Archer, chairman of the Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, for services to the NHS.

Prof Julia King, vice-chancellor of Aston University, for services to higher education and technology.

COMMANDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE (CBE)

Prof Mary Longstaff Jacobus, Professor of English and director of the Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities at University of Cambridge, for services to literary scholarship.

Prof David Newbery, Emeritus Professor of Applied Economics at University of Cambridge, for services to economics.

ORDER OF THER BRITISH EMPIRE (OBE)

Michael Allen, formerly chairman of the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts, for services to wildlife conservation.

Dr Dougal Goodman, chief executive of the Foundation for Science and Technology, for services to sScience.

MEMBER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE (MBE)

Mary Bliszczak, school catering training co-ordinator and cookery volunteer at Cambridgeshire County Council, for services to school food.

Penelope Cleobury, for services to the community.

Louis Drake, for voluntary service to horticulture.

Sheila Friend-Smith, for services to local government in East Cambridgeshire.

Gary Irvine, Grade D, Ministry of Defence.

David Pask, formerly teacher and manager at EOTAS Tuition and Support, March, for services to education.

BRITISH EMPIRE MEDAL (BEM)

Susan Malley, for services to the Land Registry and to the StrongerTogether Project.

Pamela Chessington Potts, for services to the community in Whittlesey.

Rosemary May Sandall, for charitable services in Chernobyl, Ukraine and services to carers.

John Shepperson, for services to the community in Swavesey.

Peter Willmer, for services to the community in Great Staughton