A Teesside pensioner will be heading to the Palace of Westminster after being honoured for his dedication to the education of children and young people on Teesside.
Stockton’s Harry Smith is among 26 exceptional individuals to be honoured with the esteemed British Citizen Award (BCA) which recognises and celebrates their outstanding contributions to society. The medal presentation, set for Thursday, 23 January, will see Harry receive the coveted BCA Medal of Honour for Service to Volunteering & Charitable Giving (BCAv).
Harry has dedicated over 40 years to improving and supporting a better education for pupils staff and communities across the North East of England. Starting in the 1980s, when his children were in secondary school, he volunteered to be a governor.
Now, at age 81, he still volunteers several hours a week, working across various councils and multi-academy trusts.
Upon his retirement from working as a senior executive in a plastics distribution company, Harry saw his volunteering as his new ‘job’. His diary is always full and, he never says no to being there to support and help improve schools. He is a governor or director at multiple schools across the Teesside area.
He also sits on appeals and exclusion panels for Stockton, Middlesbrough, Hartlepool and Redcar Councils. He travels to schools, and council offices, multiple times a week to attend meetings, give advice and support school management teams.
Harry’s support to education has influenced the lives of several thousands of children across Teesside. His expertise and knowledge is appreciated by many people, often being the first person called for advice. Furthermore, he is the chairman of The Ropner Trust charity, and over his lifetime so far, Harry has donated over 150 units of blood to the NHS Blood Donation Service.
Debbie Carr, chairman of the Board of Governors at St Mark’s CofE Primary School in Stockton, one of the places supported by Harry, said: “We are incredibly proud that Harry has been recognised for his forty years of volunteering and selected for a British Citizen Award.”
Stephanie Wood from BCA Partner One Stop added: “This year’s medalists exemplify the incredible support within our communities, especially during challenging times. We’re honoured to partner with the BCA and play a part in recognising these exceptional individuals.”
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