Why the Queen is so keen on Debra Green

I was delighted to hear that mother-of-four Debra Green, who initially started a charity to provide somewhere for teenagers to meet, has been awarded an OBE for her services to community cohesion.

The mother-of-four was the principle founder of church-based project Redeeming Our Communities (ROC), which has spread all over the UK and is really helping to improve quality of life in local communities.

ROC has built partnerships between police, the fire service, churches, voluntary groups and others to tackle issues from anti-social behaviour to the isolation that is often experienced by elderly people.

“I am humbled, delighted and honoured to be recognised in this way. I pay tribute to my wonderful family who have faithfully supported me and to friends who have believed in me and to my ROC colleagues and volunteers who are working so hard for the good of communities across the UK,” she said.

While some of us might have been tempted to put our feet up and focus on our mantelpieces if we made the Queen’s Birthday Honours List, Debra had other plans. The same weekend the list was announced, she was speaking at the Alive Festival in Inverness.

Then on Monday she was in London speaking at Jesus House, one of the fastest-growing black majority churches in England, and on Tuesday she met the senior command team at New Scotland Yard to discuss ROC developments in the capital. And on Wednesday she travelled to Sussex for an ROC Projects Training Day for the South East.

Even just reading all that makes me feel tired…

But that’s what makes Debra so special. She never tires of doing good and is continually thinking of new ways to bring communities together. Constantly on the road, she is an example to all of us of how one person’s obedience and determination can make a difference to individuals, families, cities and nations. And she somehow still manages to remain completely down-to-earth and humble. No wonder the Queen likes her.

So what’s next for Debra? “I have so much to be grateful for... perhaps I'll have a bit of rest next week!” she says. (Don’t tell her I said so, but with her schedule I’m not sure there’ll be much chance of that!)

Read the full story in the next issue of Liberti magazine and find out more about Redeeming our Communities here.