The founder member and long serving Secretary of Chelmsford City L&GFC, received her MBE at Buckingham Palace last week.
By Roger Barnard
This honour was granted to her earlier in the year in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List and she received her honour from His Royal Highness Prince Charles at the Investiture ceremony with 104 other recipients which also included pop icon Adele.
This was Dawn’s second trip to Buckingham Palace this year, as she was invited by Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge in October to spend a day as a guest of the Football Association. They were celebrating their 150 years and at that visit, Dawn was presented with a medal, along with 149 other volunteers from the amateur game.
Dawn was being recognised for her 27 years of championing women’s and girls’ football in Essex. After being founder member of Chelmsford City Ladies FC in 1986, she also helped to form the Ormiston Girls League which four years later, became officially recognised as the Essex County Girls’ Football League.
In 1993, Dawn helped to set up the Essex County Women’s League and holds the position of League Secretary. Dawn was also the first Women’s & Girls’ Representative on the Essex County FA Executive Council, a position she held for eight years and was instrumental in the formation of the Essex County FA Women’s Representative Team.
Chelmsford born Dawn, attended both Lawford Mead Infant & Junior School’s and Rainsford Comprehensive. Last month she was also recognized by the FA for her endeavours when she was presented with the Special Achievement Award at the National Women’s Football awards in London.
Pictured – Dawn outside Buckingham Palace with her MBE accompanied by her husband Roger.
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