We would like to say a massive congratulations to both Brenda Hale and Lou Rudd for being awarded an OBE and MBE respectively.
Brenda, former DUP MLA, has been awarded an OBE for her political service. Brenda is an excellent Ambassador for The Soldiers’ Charity and we truly believe that she deserves this honour for her hard work and dedication.
Brenda is the widow of Captain Mark Hale, who was killed in Afghanistan in August 2009, after being caught in an explosion while helping an injured colleague. While the award was a “surprise” and “incredibly humbling” for Brenda, she explains that “the main reason I came into politics was for the Military Covenant and keeping a high profile for the Armed Forces.
“This is a recognition of all the people who have served their country and did not come back, as well as their families who have supported them and have had to make their journey alone. It is very emotional and completely humbling and I will share it with all the military families.”
As well as sharing the award with all the military families, she’s exceptionally excited to share it with her two daughters when they go to Buckingham Palace to meet Her Majesty The Queen as they have “travelled on this journey together”.
You can read more about Brenda’s story, here.
Captain Louis Rudd, on the other hand, has been awarded an MBE for his outstanding leadership and determination. Lou is an Army polar explorer who led a team of five Army Reservists, better known as SPEAR17, across Antarctica in 2016/2017.
More recently, he led a team of six across Greenland with limited access to phone or email. He found out the news of his award on the way back from the expedition and says that “it was a nice way to finish the expedition”.
Lou has been an active Ambassador for The Soldiers’ Charity and we would like to thank him for all his hard work and dedication in helping to raise awareness of what we do.
You can read more about SPEAR17, here.