UK Armed Forces secretary in France shocked at receiving British Honour
British Empire Medal, awarded for services to British veterans in France, comes as complete surprise for Lesley Blake
SSAFA secretary Lesley Blake
SSAFA France
The secretary of the French branch of SSAFA, the UK Armed Forces charity, has been awarded a British Empire Medal for services to British veterans in France.
“I was shocked, delighted and absolutely honoured,” Lesley Blake told The Connexion. She will receive the medal at the British Embassy in Paris later this year.
Mrs Blake, who is in her 70s, received a call from the deputy ambassador: “I thought he wanted to chat about something else but then realised he was talking about me. I was completely stunned for the rest of the conversation.”
SSAFA offers lifelong support to British veterans and their families, no matter how long they served.
This support is mainly financial but also includes administrative help.
Mrs Blake herself had a career spanning the Royal Air Force and the European Space Agency. She started volunteering with SSAFA in 2007, along with her husband Ian who was also in the military.
Read more: Support is available for UK veterans living in France
'Vital bridge'
In 2010, as the French branch grew, the branch secretary role split into two and Mrs Blake became the admin secretary and, later, training coordinator.
She originally moved to France in search of another adventure – to renovate an old farmhouse in the Lot – in 2003, having previously lived in Bahrain and Germany.
“Renovations that are almost complete,” she said.
Keith Cima, chairman of SSAFA France, hailed Mrs Blake as “the vital bridge between this diaspora and SSAFA central office in London”.
He added: “She is at the centre of a team of volunteers pulling together support for veterans and events with her usual blend of humour, charm, and a willingness to engage fully.”
Organisation
Other than occasional general meetings, most of her work takes place online via Teams meetings, helping out wherever she needs to and coordinating the caseworkers, or through organising book swaps, coffee mornings and jazz evenings.
She also works with French authorities to make sure that SSAFA is operating within the confines of the law.
Mrs Blake has no plans to slow down her volunteering and also enjoys participating in a drama group with her husband.
