Chairman of Northampton older people support group thought her BEM from the Queen was a scam

The chairman of a Northampton support group for elderly people was so shocked to receive a BEM from the Queen that she thought it was a scam.

Enid Freeman has spent the past 14 years ensuring pensioners are not lonely and have whatever they need while leading the Duston Old People’s Welfare Association (DOPWA).

She kept volunteering despite her husband Eddie, who was secretary of the 129-year-old organisation, dying three years ago and issues with her eyesight.

"To be quite honest I thought it was a scam - as far as I'm concerned I haven't done anything that warrants something like this," she told the Chronicle & Echo.

"I just get on with what I'm doing - I'm quite overwhelmed."

Enid could not believe it when she received the email in May or the follow-up email a few months later telling her she was soon to become a Medallist of the British Empire.

She only accepted it was real when she got a hand-written letter from the Lord Lieutenant of Northamptonshire with her name at the top.

Even then, Enid dedicated the award to her fellow committee members who she said makes everything the group does possible.

"To be a good chair, you have got to have a good team behind you and we have that," she said.

"Everyone is a volunteer, me as chair, the treasurer and secretary and we all work together, we enjoy what we're doing and it shows when we do events."

DOPWA's origins go back to an ‘older folks Christmas party’ in Duston in 1891 - the qualifying age was 45 - which soon became a yearly tradition, every during the two world wars.

In 1951, Duston Parish Council set up a committee to take over the management, with a new qualifying age of 70, before DOPWA was founded in 1965.

Every year the association provides a party, and at Christmas a card and £7 voucher to be spent in the local shops for each of its 350 members.

During the coronavirus pandemic, DOPWA has made sure its members and any other elderly people had enough supplies as most were told to shield.

Secretary Alison Grantham said Enid has been at the heart of everything the group has done and has had to adapt to challenges like Eddie's death.

"When Eddie became very ill in 2017, Enid insisted that she continue fulfilling her role," she explained.

"Sadly Eddie passed away shortly after, our annual party took place the day after Eddie’s funeral and somehow Enid managed to find the strength to attend the party and carry out her duties.

"The past couple of years has also thrown up some serious challenges for Enid as she battled with eyesight problems but yet again she just adapted in order to to continue to fulfil her role.

"I am thrilled that Enid has been honoured in this way and on behalf of the committee would like to offer our heartfelt congratulations to her in recognition of all her hard work and support over the years.

"It made me smile when I received a call from her early on Saturday morning with the news, thinking that she was a victim of a scam - she thinks she doesn’t deserve it - she absolutely does."