The Lieutenancy of Banffshire
Banffshire Honours
Congratulations to Jenny Lee, BEM
Founder, Beulah Cafe
Jenny has been honoured for her services to Art and to Social Inclusion in Aberdeenshire.
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The New Years Honours 2021 recognises the achievements and service of people across the UK, from all walks of life.
Jenny becomes a Medallist of the Order of the British Empire (known as the British Empire Medal). The citation for her honour nomination reads:
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"Jenny has contributed to the life of the local community through her role as a volunteer for a many different groups and organisations. These include:
Beulah Drop-in Café – Jenny founded this social enterprise café in the Banff Methodist Church in 2015, as a Christian-based, not for profit organisation. When the church closed in 2017, she worked with St Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Banff to ensure that the drop in café continued, serving its customers and meeting identified needs within the community.
Prior to Covid-19 lockdown, the café took place every Wednesday morning with up to 25 people attending. The café provides friendly support and meets social and health and wellbeing needs in the town. Jenny works with local businesses to provide fresh, healthy food, enabling the café to serve soup, teas and coffees to all who come.
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Hope UK – Along with her husband, Jenny works as a drugs educator through the national charity Hope UK and supports a number of local initiatives.
Hope UK works to equip young people to make drug-free choices, working with groups and individuals in both formal and informal settings. This involves drug awareness sessions – both with children and young people and the adults who work with them or care for them. It also focuses on helping young people to develop relevant life skills including peer resistance skills, developing confidence and decision-making tools.
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The Methodist Church in Scotland – Jenny is a Methodist Lay Reader and was accredited into the Moray Coastal Circuit in 2015, having been involved in other circuits previously.
Scout Scotland – Jenny is a North East Scotland region executive member supporting Scout Groups across the area.
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Banff Churches Together – Jenny was an active member of the group and took part in a wide range of activities including supporting pupils making the transition from Primary School to Secondary School, ecumenical services (such as the marking of the 100th anniversary of the Armistice) and representing the group on the planning forum for the proposed refurbishment of the Vinery in Airlie Gardens by Aberdeenshire Council.