Local community members have been recognised in the New Year Honours List - including a man who has worked tirelessly for West Ealing.

David Highton has been awarded an MBE for 'services to the community of Ealing'.

David has lived in West Ealing since 1978, and became Chairman of West Ealing Neighbours - a volunteer residents group which formed officially in 2005. He has led many local campaigns to help improve the local area, including work which led to safer pedestrian crossings at the Lido junction.

Two years ago, David helped establish the arts group OPEN Ealing which has grown from from strength to strength.

David at OPEN Ealing with Julian Bell and Nick Pearson. Nick is now the Artistic Director for OPEN.

The group recently joined forces with The Questors theatre, the Ealing Club and Drayton Court Hotel to form Creative Ealing,and David has recently handed over the reigns.

David told EalingToday.co.uk the award was for many people - not just himself:

'' I'm just the visible tip of the iceberg for this award. There are so many people who have worked tirelessly for West Ealing Neighbours since we were set up and many, many volunteers who gave their all to making OPEN Ealing a great success. These are the people who deserve to share in this award. It's for all of them as much as it is for me. With their help and hard work WEN and OPEN Ealing have made a difference to our local community.''

Another Ealing man, Paul Modley, has been awarded the British Empire Medal for services for the Olympics and Paralympics. He worked on the London 2012 project for the last 6 years and was responsible for recruiting all paid staff needed to help run the Games. 

He believes he was honoured because of his work on the local employment strategy - maximising opportunities for local residents across London to get involved.

Paul said:  "I am immensely proud to have been involved in the London 2012 project and am delighted and surprised to have received this honour  - what a great year for Britain and what a way to cap it off for me personally."

Others who have been recognised include prison officer Anthony Boden who has been awarded an MBE for voluntary services to HM Prison Service and to Young People in Ealing. He visits 10 to 15 schools each year to tell 11-year-olds what life inside prison is really like.

He said: "I tell them about the loneliness, no mobiles, no Facebook, YouTube. That stuns them."

Another MBE has been given to Diana Isabel, Dishley JP Magistrate and Founder, Your Life You Choose. For services to the community in Ealing, West London.

Meanwhile a local Ealing police officer, PC James Engelbach, 58, has received the Queen's Policing Medal for Distinguished Service.
 
PC Engelbach has an impressive 39 years service. He spent the first two and a half years of his career in Norfolk before joining the Met.

PC Engelbach, who works on a response team in Ealing borough, has spent the majority of his career working a 24-hour shift and dealing with the emergency calls from the public at the very front line of policing.

He has policed the Silver, Golden and Diamond Jubilees and he recalls his most memorable moment during his service was when he rescued a man from a burning building in the early 1990's. He attended the scene after receiving reports of a building ablaze in Paddington. The occupier had returned from a night out, started cooking some food and fell asleep, resulting in the food catching fire and the building going up in flames. PC Engelbach crawled into the burning building and dragged the man out, ultimately saving his life.

PC Engelbach said: "I'm stunned to be awarded this great honour. I've have experienced a lot in the job and had plenty of fun on the way, and I'm not quite finished yet!"

 

29th December 2012