L-R: Sally Peck and Richard Groom

New Year honours for Bedford Modern

Sally Peck receives OBE and Richard Groom is awarded MBE in 2016 honours list

Posted by Stephanie Broad | January 12, 2016 | People, policy, politics

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• #new-year-honours
• #obe
• #mbe
• #independent-schools
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Sally Peck, Chair of Governors at Bedford Modern School (BMS) and former BMS student Richard Groom, current President of the school’s Alumni Association, have both been recognised in the 2016 Honours list.

Former Chairman of the Harpur Trust, long standing Trustee and current Chair of Governors at Bedford Modern School, Sally Peck, has been awarded an OBE in the 2016 New Year’s Honours list for services to the community through Education and Sport in Bedford and the Eastern Region.

Amongst her charitable activities, Sally has worked tirelessly for the Harpur Trust since she first became a trustee in 1998 and was Chairman through some of the most demanding times for the Trust. Sally said: “It was such a wonderful surprise to have been mentioned in the New Year’s Honours list. I regard myself as extremely fortunate to have been involved with The Harpur Trust for the past 18 years; I have met some truly inspirational people along the way and have learnt a huge amount. I’m so grateful.”

Richard Groom, who attended BMS from 1953 until 1960, was awarded an MBE for services to the community; particularly disabled young people and helped to raise millions during his time as chairman of the Lord’s Taverners, an organisation that gives disadvantaged children the opportunity to play and engage in sport. 

Richard said: “I do a lot of charity work, because I enjoy it. To see the faces of those youngsters when they were suddenly able to do things that they didn’t think possible because of their disability was reward enough for me.”

More recently Richard has been the chairman of the Orpheus Centre, a performing arts college for disabled young adults in Surrey.

www.bedmod.co.uk