Dudley community leader jubilant at honour of royal award

Rose Cook-Monk was been awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) in the New Years Honours list for Services to Dudley, having taken a lead in community affairs over the last 20 years.

The 52-year-old is the founder of the Duncan Edwards Foundation and has worked to set up Dudley Remembers, as well as setting up a women's help group and playing a vital role in the Black Country Toy Appeal.

She said she had taken a call from the cabinet office and not realised the enormity of the phone call until it was explained what was happening.

She said: "I got the call and was having a really busy day, so when she said she was from the cabinet office, I replied that I hadn't ordered a cabinet, so a few seconds of silence followed before she explained why she was calling.

"She told me about the letter, which I hadn't received, and were calling me to ask if I would accept the award as the deadline was approaching and I started to realise this wasn't a crank call and was very real."

Ms Cook-Monk said she was thrilled to receive such an honour and said she wished her parents Ken and Thelma could have been around to celebrate with her.

She said: "Both my parents were real royalists, as I am, so I'm just thrilled to have been given this honour, particularly for services to my home town as I love the history of the Black Country.

"I don't know who nominated me as all they could tell me was there were multiple nominations, so I would want to say thank you to everyone who has supported me, especially my husband Andy and Pat Foley.

"This award is dedicated to the Duncan Edwards Foundation, the women's help group, Dudley Remembers and the Black Country Toy Appeal and even though it's my name on the award, I couldn't have done it without the support of so many people.

"I've worked and travelled all over the world, but there is nowhere like the Black Country and nowhere like Dudley."