It was a cold and rainy November
evening when I arrived home to find an innocuous looking brown envelope
awaiting me. Imagine my surprise when I opened it to find the words Prime
Minister and Queen in one sentence – I had to read it three times to make sure
I understood – and then came the shrieks of surprise and amazement – I’d been
awarded an OBE in the New Year’s Honours List for services to Social Enterprise
and Women’s Enterprise in the North West.
Fast forward to Thursday 10th
May to find my husband Donny, Mum, volunteer Mark and I entering the gates to
Buckingham Palace for my investiture against a backdrop of flashes from
tourists’ cameras. The experience was absolutely amazing. Nothing can prepare
you for the sheer grandeur of the Palace with historic artworks on every wall,
ornate chandeliers and grandiose staircases flanked by fantastic ‘statues’ –
which then make you jump as they blink – yes they are actually guards standing
absolutely statue-still!
When we arrived my guests were
taken to the ballroom where the investiture takes place and entertained by an
orchestra drawn from the Bands of the Household Guards. Meanwhile the
recipients of honours were taken to another room and briefed on the procedure
we were to follow. We were able to chat amongst ourselves briefly and
coincidentally I found myself talking to a commander of a nuclear submarine, an
army colonel and a Lancashire midwife who has written a best-selling book of
her memoires. We couldn’t have arranged ourselves better as when they called
the first group to make our way to the ballroom our impromptu group were
actually the first four people called and the fifth was Professor Rachel Cooper
from Lancaster University! We were able to get to know each other quite well as
we wended our way through the corridors and waited nervously to be called
forward individually.
There are no words to describe the
feeling as you are called forward to make the short walk to the dais where the
Princess Royal was waiting to perform my investiture flanked by a guard of 4
beefeaters and 2 Ghurkhas. From our conversation, the Princess Royal was
clearly well informed about, and interested in social enterprises and it will
be no surprise to learn that she apparently chatted to me for around 5 minutes!
I’m delighted to report that I managed to follow the procedure and also to
curtsey twice without tripping and apparently I managed to do it ‘gracefully’
too. Quite an achievement in a full length gown and 4 inch heels...
So, how do I feel? Well it was a
truly amazing experience that brought my honour to life – until know it’s felt
a little ‘unreal’. It’s hard to put into words but I’m honoured, humbled,
inspired (by the achievements of my fellow investees) – and feel a huge sense
of responsibility to live up to it moving forwards!
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Melanie Bryan OBE attended the 10,000 Small Businesses programme run by The Centre for Enterprise. To find out more please visit the website.
To find out more about Melanie, why not visit her website - www.whynotchange.co.uk
