18th November 2021

Businessmen Derek Steel and Peter Kennard have both received the British Empire Medal for their support of our charity.

Derek and Peter received their honours from Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant Susan Pyper at an investiture ceremony hosted at Methold House on Thursday 18th November. In attendance were family and close friends, our charity’s Chair of Trustees and CEO, patron of Guild Care Tim Loughton MP, and the Mayor and Mayoress of Worthing.

From left to right: Derek Steel, Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant Susan Pyper, Peter Kennard

Together as ‘D & P Fundraising’, Derek of Jacobs Steel and Peter of HD Tribe have supported Guild Care for 15 years, during which time they have fundraised a significant amount of money. They achieved this through running two annual events – a St George’s Day Luncheon and the Not the New Year’s Eve Ball – and offering support to other events and campaigns, such as Guild Care’s Annual Golf Challenge.

In a speech following the medal presentation, Peter said: “It’s great to be here today, and to share it with all our family makes it extra special. It’s a big honour. Hopefully next year we can get back to fundraising in the normal way.” Derek added: “We are proud to be able to give something back to the local community – and in particular, a local charity. We would like to thank all the companies and individuals who have donated auction prizes to help to raise funds for the charity.”

From left to right: Guild Care CEO Alex Brooks-Johnson, The Mayor of Worthing Lionel Harman, Derek Steel, Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant Susan Pyper, Peter Kennard, Guild Care Chair of Trustees Antonia Hopkins

Amanda Tucker, our charity’s Director of Fundraising, said: “Thank you so much to Derek and Peter for their continued support of our charity. Guild Care couldn’t continue to support people to live well, enjoy life, and love every day without fundraisers like Derek and Peter. It is wonderful to see their hard work be recognized by the Crown.”