HM Lord-Lieutenant’s presentation of Certificates of Meritorious Service online
Wednesday, 3 March 2021
At a special ceremony held online, HM Lord-Lieutenant of Bedfordshire, Helen Nellis, presented five Lord-Lieutenant Certificates for Meritorious Service.
The awards were for exceptional service by non-commissioned members of the Reserve Forces, Adult Instructors of the Cadet Forces, and civilians employed with units or holding recognised unpaid posts.
Dignitaries present included:
- the Vice Lord-Lieutenant Chris Sharwood-Smith MBE, Chief Executive of East Anglia Reserve Forces and Cadets Association
- Colonel Ray Wilkinson QVRM TD DL VR, Honorary Colonel of Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Army Cadet Force
- Andrew Wallis MBE DL
- Deputy Lieutenant Major Simon Sadler TD DL
They were joined by recipients and family members to hear details about the achievements of each person, read by Unit Officers:
- Lt Commander Ruth Bell MBE JP DL RNR – Bedfordshire Sea Cadets
- Major Paul Ziemelis – Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Army Cadets
- Wing Commander Tony Kelly – RAF Air Cadets
- Lt Colonel Robert Futter – Royal Logistic Corps
The recipients honoured were:
- S/Lt Jake Blackstaffe (Bedfordshire Sea Cadets)
- Flt Sgt Emily Sekaran-Blofield (RAF Air Cadets)
- Lisa Chalkley (Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Army Cadet Force)
- Andrew Hunt (Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Army Cadet Force)
- Pte Joseph Lionetti (Royal Logistic Corps)
HM Lord-Lieutenant of Bedfordshire, Helen Nellis said after the ceremony:
It is always a great pleasure to honour those people who give so much of their time to encourage and support the development of our young people and reserve forces. In these difficult times, it's important that we should still recognise them, so an online ceremony was the best way to ensure their good works were rewarded.