A FORMER Lamerton headteacher and avid volunteer for girls’ education in Nepal — who refused repatriation after a devastating earthquake to aid in the aftermath — has been awarded an OBE for her work in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List.

Ann Marcer was announced as a recipient of the Order of the British Empire in the honours list, which was released at the weekend, coinciding with the Queen’s 93rd ‘official’ birthday on June 7, for her services to UK Aid and to young women.

After holding the position of headteacher at Lamerton Primary School for 11 years, Ann volunteered with charity Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) on an education project in Nepal.

From 2013 she has worked tirelessly to encourage more girls to attend and stay in school. The ‘Sisters for Sisters’ project was centred on empowering and educating girls, as in the Lamjung District, where she was volunteering, many communities place a higher value on domestic work and early marriage for girls than they do on education.

While in Nepal, Ann tackled barriers such as attitudes to girls’ education and the poor facilities provided for the girls as well as to facilitate better lesson-planning with Nepalese teachers.

Ann has since returned independently to Nepal a number of times to re-visit the project. She continued to build upon the impact of her placement, building sustainability with her determination and drive, with improvements to lessons, girls’ bathroom facilities in the school and more empowerment of female Nepalese teachers. Almost all of the 320 Nepalese female pupils which Ann has been working with from the start are still attending school regularly.

Ann was volunteering in Nepal when it suffered a devastating earthquake in 2015, the epicentre of which was only 25 miles from where she was living.

‘It was terrifying but I was very fortunate to be unhurt,’ she said. ‘In the aftermath VSO Nepal linked with UNICEF to help support schools that had been damaged.’

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‘This enabled lessons to continue in temporary classrooms so that pupils didn’t lose the habit of attending school. Although offered repatriation by VSO, I could see what an important job there was to do, so stayed on to help with the school aid organisation at a local level.

‘We assessed the damage to local schools, walking from village to village over many days. Around 50 remote schools had temporary classrooms built as a result of my assessment so that education could continue. I helped organise transport to deliver supplies to the schools and assisted in running training for around 400 teachers about the possible psychological effects of the earthquake on their students and how activities like art and music therapy could help.’

Ann also helped to train around 50 youth volunteers, to set up and run youth clubs and sports activities in their villages.

‘For six weeks after the earthquake, I worked seven days a week organising resources and carrying out training. This work was very demanding but hugely satisfying.’

Ann has since returned to work with a group of schools in Gorkha, in the mountains, which were destroyed by the earthquake. Ann funds herself for this work, which was set up by a VSO alumni. She plans to return in October this year to continue her work.

On being awarded the OBE, Ann said: ‘Of course I am tremendously honoured to receive this award. In Nepal I felt a real sense of purpose working with those young girls to help them complete their education. The post earthquake work I undertook was also extremely important. I think this award is an acknowledgement of the importance of international aid to developing countries, in the form of sharing skills, which is the principle of how VSO operates. Never in my wildest dreams would I have expected an award of any sort.’

• Lewdown resident John Turner was also named in the honours list, being awarded an MBE for his work as a volunteer Mental Health Act manager with Devon Partnership NHS Trust, as well as Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and previously Cumbria Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.

Mr Turner, who runs a charity fundraising business as well as administering the Respite Association from his home, said: ‘Mental Health Act managers carry out a vital role within the NHS.

‘I am delighted because I feel that the selfless work of mental health act managers across the country is also being recognised with this honour.’

Mr Turner is also being honoured for his continuing work with The Bentley Young Persons’ Trust, supporting young people to fulfil their potential in Portsmouth, where he wsa resident for many years.