A HEALTHCARE assistant who has worked for a hospice for a decade has been recognised in the New Year’s Honours list.

Caroline Austen, 66, from Lewes, who has provided end-of-life care at St Peter and St James Hospice over ten years, is honoured for services to her community, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Alongside her duties, she organised fundraising events, raising more than £100,000 and, during the pandemic, she sought ways to improve the quality of support for staff, approaching local companies to donate soothing skincare products to alleviate the effects of regular and rigorous handwashing and wearing PPE.

She also selflessly lived alone during the first lockdown so she could continue to perform her work duties and protect her shielding husband.

For her work and efforts, she has been awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM).

Ms Austen said: “It’s an honour to work at St Peter and St James. When I first came here to visit a dying friend it felt there were arms coming around me as soon as I walked through the door.

“I feel so passionate about what I do and by fundraising I feel I’m giving back some of the pleasure that caring for our patients gives me, knowing that the monies raised will be used to enhance their lives and others in future.”

Also receiving a BEM is Jeremy Fox, 79, from Patching, for his services to the community in Littlehampton.

Mr Fox devoted 20 years on the management committee of the Littlehampton Sea Cadets, some of who went on to have successful careers in the Navy.

He also ensured the success of Clapham and Patching village hall, with its finances robust enough to enable improvements, including a designated car park and a security system, and also ran the shop and post office in Clapham with his wife until retiring in 2015.

He said it was vital to protect these spaces as they remain important in the community, despite changes in society.

“We get a lot of elderly people who don’t see anyone for a long time, and when you’re running a village shop and post office, we used to get people on a daily basis to get groceries because that was the only time of the day they saw anyone,” he said.

While he was flattered by the award, Mr Fox said he was tempted to decline the BEM.

He said: “I genuinely don’t think that I deserve it. I can name you a dozen people off the top of my head who do more than I do or have done. However, my wife and son persuaded me to take it on behalf of the organisations for which I worked and for people who do work and don’t get recognition.”

For his work in the community Malcolm Burwood, 79, from Haywards Heath has also been awarded a BEM.

He has volunteered in his village community of Danehill, as well as the neighbouring villages of Chelwood Gate and Furners Green over a period of 30 years.

His work dates back to the Great Storm of 1987, when he and his wife opened their home to the village for use of their gas-heated hot water and cooker to wash and cook meals after power went down.

He has also taken the lead in many social events within the village, including weekly breakfasts and bridge clubs, annual Burns Nights, and celebrations marking the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and the Millennium, campaigned tirelessly to raise money for the upkeep and maintenance of the Danehill Memorial Hall when it was on the verge of collapse, and organised coach trips to Normandy, the Somme, Essex and Suffolk for ten years as part of the Sussex Air Crew Association, set up for veteran air crew.

“A lot of them were widowed, so they were together with their pals," he said.

“We even got RAF air crew into the 65th anniversary of D-Day in Normandy. We got into the ceremony with Prince Charles and Camilla, and they said it was the first time they had seen air crew on the ground as they normally see them in the air.”

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