Plymouth woman awarded BEM

Emma Jones has been tackling food poverty within her local community

A Plymouth woman has received the British Empire Medal (BEM) for services to the community in the city during the covid pandemic. 

Emma Jones was among 11 Devon residents receiving BEMs and MBEs in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours.

They all received their awards from the Lord Lieutenant for Devon, David Fursdon, at the Royal Marines’ Commando Training Centre in Lympstone last week.

Ms Jones has been seen as the driving force behind ‘Plymouth Feed a Family’ which tackles food poverty in her local community.  

During the first full lockdown she was touched by stories of local families who were struggling to feed their families and asked her Facebook friends if they would be willing to help ensure those families could have a Christmas dinner.

Through a dedicated Facebook page, she coordinated hundreds of volunteers to work together to secure and store donations from people across the city.  

She identified volunteer drivers to collect donations and deliver the hampers to the needy recipients in time for Christmas.  

Ms Jones approached charities such as Barnardos, Elder Tree and Improving Lives Plymouth who were able to identify particular families in need and was able to ensure over 200 families received a hamper which included, not just their Christmas dinner, but also longer lasting basic essentials and treats.  

The families who were unaware they had been nominated to receive a hamper were delighted and surprised.  

Ms Jones explained why she started the initiative.

“It was something that I set up in October 2020 after doing some Christmas meals the year before for families who were struggling, with a couple of friends,” she said.

“I wanted to do the same again but on a bit of a bigger scale and actually it just went a bit mad and went a bit viral. 

“So I have 1,500 people in a Facebook group, Plymouth residents who all donated food, gift cards, their time to make the hampers.

“We ended up feeding over 600 people. And it was a hamper for Christmas Day with the turkey and all the bits that you want. And then it was food for the rest of the week as well. So it was very rewarding.

Ms Jones says she never thought it would be as big as it turned out to be. “I wasn’t expecting it at all,” she said. “But it just shows that people want to give. 

“Whenever there’s something out there, people want to contribute and help, especially if people are struggling.”

She says the current cost of living crisis means there may still be plenty of work to do. 

“I am planning on doing something, I think, towards the end of the year, but people are having to choose between heating their homes and buying food. 

“There are adults who aren’t eating to feed their children and at the end of the day, we shouldn’t be living like that. We shouldn’t need food banks. 

“I’m a single mum. I work, I’m lucky I can look after my son, but I can’t imagine not being able to feed him.”

Ms Jones says she soon realised many people were lacking essentials. 

“It was very humbling because people write to you and say, Look, I need help. And actually to read the stories and to think that people are having to ask for a loaf of bread, a tin of beans. 

“It wasn’t just a Christmas thing. It was people writing to me afterwards and asking for the basics. It’s unimaginable to me.”

She added that she was surprised and privileged to be awarded a BEM. 

“It feels very strange because I didn’t do it for any other reason, but I also feel very honoured.”

Other Devonians who received awards from the Lord Lieutenant for Devon include:

• Andrew Willard, Plymouth, who received a Member of the British Empire, MBE, for services to HM Prison and Probation Service
• Max Woosey, Braunton who has been awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) after raising over £638,000 for the North Devon Hospice by sleeping in a tent gifted to him by his elderly neighbour, Rick Abbott, who died in 2020.
• Verna Pollard, Plymouth, a foster carer who received an MBE for services to children
• Dr Miles Joyner, Exeter, Founder of the Exeter Leukaemia Fund, who received an MBE for services to people suffering from blood cancer in Devon
• Anne Muriel Stapleton, Plymouth, who received a British Empire Medal, BEM, for voluntary service to Young People
• Mrs Janet Webber, Sidmouth, Director of Development for The Mission to Seafarers, who received a BEM for services to women in the international maritime sector
• Gerald Millington, Otterton, who received a BEM for services to local history in Devon and Hertfordshire
• Jill Diprose, Dawlish, who received a BEM as Founder of ‘Activities Interests Music Support’, for services to families of children with special needs in Dawlish
• Brian Smith, Newton Abbot, who received a BEM for services to the community in Newton Abbot, particularly during COVID-19
• Lt Cdr Louise Moxworthy, from Exeter, who received the Royal Red Cross (Second Class) ARRC – a military decoration – for excelling in two senior nursing roles.