King's honours: Gloucestershire clown and community leader recognised

Indigo Redfern helped to support her community during the pandemic

A woman who helped her community respond to the Covid-19 pandemic has been awarded an MBE for her services.

CEO for the GL11 Community Hub in Cam, Indigo Redfern, supported more than 15,000 households in Dursely and Cam during the pandemic.

Her work supporting residents led to the hub being recognised as a best practice Covid case study.

She was given the award alongside seven other Gloucestershire-based individuals.

During the first lockdown in 2020, the GL11 Community Hub said it fielded about 8,000 telephone calls, and made more than 600 emotional support calls.

Its volunteers also completed 4,130 requests for assistance, and supported about 1 in every 10 households in the local community.

The GL11 Hub is a group that helps Gloucestershire residents

Ms Redfern said: "I am delighted to accept this MBE on behalf of all the volunteers, trustees, staff past and present at GL11, and our generous funders, who this honour is really for.

"During Covid, hundreds of people helped Cam & Dursley mount a unique community response - 5% of households volunteered, answering over 9,000 phone calls providing support and wellbeing.

"Our community has had an outpouring of kindness, with everyone pulling together.

"It's a successful model of co-ordinated community building, now used as national best practice.

"This honour is for everyone in Cam & Dursley who helps make that happen."

The work of the street volunteers and the Hub support phone lines continued through 2021 on a reduced scale.

Tweedy was born in Aberdeen in Scotland and performs with Gloucestershire-based Giffords Circus

Gloucestershire performer Alan Digweed, known as Tweedy the clown, was awarded the British Empire Medal for his dedication to the arts.

He has worked in the circus and shows across the world.

The entertainer, who is part of Giffords Circus, said he "almost missed the news" of his royal award.

"The honour was a complete surprise. I nearly missed out because for some reason I didn't get the email, and then they got in touch by my agent," he said.

Gloucestershire performer Alan Digweed is also known as Tweedy the clown

"I was too late in the end to respond to it, but they let me off for being late, typical clown fashion I guess.

"It will be a lot of fun going along."

Tweedy, who was born in Aberdeen, said he had wanted to be a clown from an early age and was inspired by slapstick cartoons and the comedy duo Laurel and Hardy.

In his spare time, Tweedy enjoys putting on charity shows and is planning to continue working in the circus and pantomimes.