Gransnet Thurrock member Glenda Stephens has been honoured in the latest Queen's Birthday Honours list. Glenda was awarded the British Empire Medal for services to hockey and to the community in Thurrock.
Glenda, 66, is the president of Thurrock Hockey Club - a position she has held for the last ten years. Since joining the club shortly after she left college in 1969, she held many different positions and also set up the mini hockey sessions for children in 1987. She kept playing until she turned 50 and is now a regular fixture on the sidelines cheering and supporting the teams.
Thurrock Hockey Club also organised 10k runs which raised more than £30,000 for Great Ormond Street Hospital.
Glenda was a former deputy headteacher at Deneholm Primary, where she was also a long-serving governor. She also runs the Jack Petchey Awards as well as finding time to help the Stifford Sea Scouts and has sat on Thurrock Sports Council for 20 years.
Far from taking it easy since her retirement two years ago, Glenda also joined the University of the Third Age and took over the editing of the organisation’s newsletter.
Glenda said she was thrilled to receive the letter telling her she had won the BEM and is now looking forward to an invitation to the Queen’s garden party next year.
She said: “I was rather taken aback. You get the letter and you have to sign a letter back to say you accept it but you can’t tell anyone.
“It was a surprise to me. I thought ‘what me? I haven’t done enough!'”
Well done Glenda. You thoroughly deserve it!
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