Queen's Birthday Honours 2021: Teacher praised for work during Covid-19

Joyce Obaseki and Grant a Smile have won numerous accolades for her work helping vulnerable people, including the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service

A former teacher who ensured hundreds of families and the elderly did not go hungry during lockdown has been awarded the British Empire Medal.

Six years ago, Joyce Obaseki, from Loughton, Essex, set up Grant a Smile, whose volunteers take on domestic chores for families coping with severe illness.

"When the pandemic hit, a lot more people needed our help," she said.

Ms Obaseki, 45, said she was delighted with the honour.

"It's absolutely blown my mind," said Ms Obaseki, "I wasn't expecting it at all."

With funding tight during the first lockdown, she went from house to house, asking for food donations.

"We cannot help every body who needs our help [at Grant at Smile], we have a criteria, but we scrapped that during lockdown and helped anyone who needed it," she added.

"We helped people with chronic health conditions who could not leave the house at all, whether they had children or not, and the elderly who didn't have anybody to pick up their shopping, or prescriptions."

A befriending service was extended to people living alone, with volunteers knocking on doors for a chat and supplying free hot meals for those unable to cook.

They reached more than 220 homes across Essex and into Kent and London.

She has been honoured for services to vulnerable people and the community in Loughton, especially during Covid-19.

Offered help at pupils' homes

Ms Obaseki was also recognised for her ongoing work with Grant a Smile, which she founded after seeing her pupils struggle with life outside the classroom - with incomplete homework, dirty uniforms and poor personal hygiene.

Her offers of help around the home were often turned down because she was a teacher, and she set up her own social enterprise when she found there was no other organisation providing what was needed.

The non-profit service offers free cleaning, decluttering, gardening and shopping to families drained by the emotional, physical and mental struggle of being ill.

It also aims to boost children's confidence and skills so that they can achieve their potential.

Among other people from Essex in the Queen's Birthday Honours is Lyndsey Barrett, also awarded the British Empire Medal, for services to disability sport.

The 44-year-old, of Billericay, set up Sport for Confidence which each week runs sessions for 250 people with learning disabilities, dementia, autism and mental health issues at leisure centres across Essex.

John McKay, 72, who single-handedly delivered more than 100 food parcels across the Basildon area, has been awarded the British Empire Medal for services to the community.