Former Ladies’ College pupil awarded BEM
A PARISH clerk with Guernsey links has been awarded the British Empire Medal for helping her community in Cambridgeshire during the pandemic.
Libby White, nee Williams-Yeager, 44, said she was stunned when she got the news.
‘It’s humbling,’ she said.
The former Ladies’ College student left Guernsey in 1999 and has lived in Cambridgeshire for 14 years. She has been the parish clerk in the village of Longstanton – a role similar to the constables’ clerk in Guernsey – for seven years.
But this year has not been like any other.
Mrs White found herself coordinating a group to support hundreds of people.
‘I just fell into it,’ she said.
‘When Covid hit earlier this year we set up a volunteer group. We took calls from all the residents who needed help and organised volunteers to help them.’
There was originally 100 volunteers, but there ended up being 50 active ones who helped out.
They were available to help around 400 vulnerable people, whose details Mrs White was given. She drew up a spreadsheet of the details and would then coordinate the volunteers through a WhatsApp group. Mrs White had to ensure the data was handled correctly, so would only give out details of each job after a volunteer had come forward. That included picking up prescriptions and doing people’s shopping. It also meant they were able to keep an eye on people.
‘We had some people who would not be here if we had not intervened,’ Mrs White said.
It was not just about the basics, as this support went on for three months for people who were unable to leave their homes safely.
‘One man loved his gardening and we got him a new wheelbarrow tyre,’ she said.
‘One lady wanted a coconut, but unfortunately we were not successful with that one.’
While the UK has more than 300 cases per 100,000 over the last two weeks, south Cambridgeshire’s levels are much lower, with 72 cases per 100,000 over a week in early October. But they are rising and Mrs White said they were ready to help again if needed.
She is also working on a way for there to be safe trick or treating in the village for Halloween, with pictures of pumpkins in the window for children to spot, rather than knocking on doors and coming into contact with people.
She lives in Longstanton with husband Nick and 16-year-old daughter Kiera.
While Mrs White has lived in the UK for a number of years, she said Guernsey was still her home and she had so far not been able to meet her new Guernsey niece because of the quarantine rules.
‘I would love to come home again.’
