British Rowing's Annamarie Phelps & the Bedford Park Society's Nigel Woolner awarded

Chiswick residents have again featured prominently in the New Year 2016 Honours List.

British Rowing’s Chairman, Annamarie Phelps, has been awarded a CBE (Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) recognition of her services to rowing.

Annamarie, Chairman of British Rowing since February 2013, has been actively involved in rowing for over thirty years after taking up the sport at university.

She enjoyed a successful international rowing career representing Great Britain at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta (women’s eight) and also competed in World Rowing Championships between 1991 and 1995 as well as the Commonwealth Regatta in 1994. She was World Champion in 1993 (lightweight coxless fours) and World Indoor Rowing Champion and World Indoor Rowing Record holder between 1992 and 1995 (lightweight women).

Out of the boat, Annamarie was Lead Safeguarding Officer at British Rowing for 11 years, and oversaw the anti-doping, governance and equality policies within the National Governing Body as Deputy Chairman from 2002 to 2013.

She was the first female board member of The Boat Race Company Ltd, working with the universities sponsors and men’s clubs to bring the Women’s University Boat Race to the Tideway in 2015. Annamarie has also been a Steward of Henley Royal Regatta since 2002.
Annamarie is a trustee and vice chairman of the British Paralympic Association and has recently been appointed to the board of the British Olympic Association.

Annamarie said," I'm thrilled to be awarded a CBE for my work in rowing and it's great that more women have been recognised in the Honours system recently. Rowing is a central part of our family and family history and I am very privileged to be able to lead the sport at such a key time for British sport, especially in the run up to the Olympics and Paralympics in Rio. I am hugely thankful to the volunteers in rowing clubs across the country who deliver the sport day-to-day, our amazing staff at British Rowing and my family who have allowed me to spend so much time at it."

Bedford Park resident Nigel Woolner has been appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to the arts and education. Born in Ealing, Nigel gained a scholarship to Latymer Upper School, Hammersmith, before studying architecture at the Regent Street Polytechnic. He is a retired senior partner with international architects Chapman Taylor, and after becoming a governor at Latymer he masterminded the school’s 15-year redevelopment programme.

Nigel Woolner

He helped found the Ravenscourt Park Society then, following his move to Bedford Park, he was chairman of the Bedford Park Society for 17 years and is now president. He served on the Council of the Royal Society of Arts and the Royal College of Music, (RCM) being awarded a Fellowship of the College by its President, HRH Prince Charles, earlier this year.

He is chairman of the Mills Williams Foundation, which supports young musicians at the RCM, the Purcell School and the Royal Academy of Music. Nigel is married with three children and three grandchildren.

Peter Eversden, Bedford Park resident and Chair of the London Forum of Amenity and Civic Societies was awarded the MBE for services to community engagement in planning for London.

He says he is delighted to receive the recognition for his volunteering work over the past thirty-five years in the civic movement but considers the award is for the achievements of London Forum's team and of its 150 community groups and embers across London.

Mr. Eversden is chairman of the Bedford Park Society (BPS), a past trustee of the William Hogarth Trust, and a member of the Mayor's Outer London Commission since 2009.

Peter Eversden is also chair of the group which prepared evidence for the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee on the impact of a third runway at Heathrow.

January 2, 2016