Stalwart of Newark Women's Aid joins Jonathan Van-Tam in Queen's New Year Honours list

The manager of Women's Aid in Newark, herself a survivor of domestic violence, has been awarded the British Empire Medal in the Queen's New Year Honours list.

Marlene Ferris, from, Lowdham, has received the honour for services to victims of domestic abuse.

Marlene manages the women’s refuge project in Newark and works tirelessly to help women, children and some men who have been made homeless because of domestic violence and abuse.

She helped the refuge achieve charitable status and later established Newark Women's Aid, a small, friendly, independent, local charity providing specialist services to those who have suffered domestic abuse.

Marlene is available on call 24 hours a day and can often be found ‘in the office’ at 9pm having been there from early in the morning.

Newark Women’s Aid provides practical and emotional support and she has built a sanctuary which feels like home for the victims that arrive, often in a state of shock.

She has built a trusted relationship with the housing options team at the ?local council? and this has resulted in many successful moves on stories.

The last year has seen an unwelcome surge in cases of domestic abuse across the UK due to the covid-19 pandemic, and this has posed many additional challenges for this small charity but with her tireless work, it has been able to help even more women within limited funding.

Marlene said: “I feel extremely honoured and overwhelmed to have been nominated and to receive this award.

“I became involved with Newark women’s aid in 1979 when I was a victim of domestic violence myself. There were very few refuges in the country then and Newark women’s aid was one of them.

“Going into refuge literally saved my life.

“I gradually began to run with the running of the refuge and one of my first tasks was to put in a bid for funding to help keep the refuge open.

“In 1980 we moved to a larger premises and in 1981, we became a registered charity.

“It has been a privilege to have been able to support so many families over the years; all those brave women who face so many barriers when leaving an abusive relationship and to help them heal their lives.

“Obviously I couldn’t have done this on my own and thanks to my dedicated staff team, trustees and Newark’s local community from whom we have received tremendous support which benefits the survivors we shelter.

“I’m passionate about the work we do and certainly never expected anything like this.”

A member of Newark's Notfast Running Club, Professor Jonathan Van-Tam receives a knighthood.

Professor Van-Tam has been a key adviser to the UK government on pandemic response since 2004. He has led covid-19 treatment work for the government.

Working with external experts, the Recovery Platform trial was set up, successfully becoming the largest randomised control trial for covid-19 treatments in the world.

He is also the clinical adviser to the Vaccines Taskforce. He worked to ensure that

the first lockdown was lifted safely. He was central to the government’s preparedness for a potential H5N1 pandemic and, in the subsequent 2009 swine flu pandemic, he played a key advisory role advising the World Health Organization and sat on the UK SAGE Committee.

From 2010-17 he ran the world’s only WHO Collaborating Centre for pandemic influenza. He was critical to the introduction of the adjuvanted flu vaccine for older people in the UK.

Sir Patrick Vallance, government chief scientific adviser, and Professor Chris Whitty, chief medical officer for England, both become Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath for service to Science in Government and services to Public Health respectively.

And, Paralympian Sophie Wells MBE, from Harby, Lincolnshire, becomes an OBE for services to equestrianism.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “These recipients have inspired and entertained us and given so much to their communities in the UK or in many cases around the world.

“The honours are an opportunity for us to thank them, as a country, for their dedication and outstanding contribution.”

Of the 1,278 people who receive an award, 1,122 candidates have been selected at BEM, MBE and OBE level: 361 at BEM, 508 at MBE and 253 at OBE.

799 (63%) of the recipients are people who have undertaken outstanding work in their communities either in a voluntary or paid capacity.