Britons In Spain New Year’s Honours Announced
Two UK nationals in Spain – Lloyd Milen and Pamela Twissell-Cross have been named in the Queen’s New Year Honours List
Both were named in the New Year Honours List, published today, Saturday, 1st January 2022
With a background in health and housing, Lloyd Milen served as Vice Consul in Alicante from 2008 to 2015, when he was appointed British Consul General in Barcelona. He has responsibility for the UK Government´s relationships with the autonomous communities of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and Aragon, as well as Andorra.
He has helped to encourage new opportunities for British businesses and cultural organisations, and cemented a close relationship with the three Spanish Regional Governments and the Andorran Government. This close cooperation has been particularly noteworthy during the COVID-19 pandemic and the Balearic Government recently presented Lloyd and his team with an award in recognition of this.
In addition, he has been responsible for supporting the tens of thousands of UK Nationals who live in the region and has led over 50 outreach events in person and, more recently, online; ensuring that people understood the actions they needed to take to continue living in Spain after EU Exit.
He spearheaded ‘Stick with your Mates’ – an award-winning campaign to reduce the number of serious falls affecting young British visitors to the Balearics. During the 2019 season, the number of falls and fatalities more than halved, compared to the previous year, and the campaign has influenced youth safety strategies elsewhere in Spain and Southern Europe.
Lloyd Milen said: “Growing up as a gay kid in Middlesbrough, I never imagined I’d have the role of Consul General in a city like Barcelona, nor that I’d receive an honour such as this. It truly is amazing, and I hope it helps demonstrate to kids growing up and wondering about their future that anything is possible”.
Retiring to Spain after a long career in the NHS, Pamela Twissell-Cross became involved with the Royal British Legion as a welfare volunteer caseworker in 2011, becoming District Community Support Coordinator three years later.
Despite being voluntary, the role is almost full time –coordinating all the welfare work for an area spanning the France/Spain border right down to Almeria, including the Balearic Islands. Pamela works unstintingly to identify potential beneficiaries, make them aware of the support that the RBL can provide, and ensure they get the support they need.
In 2020, Pamela and her team assisted 569 people, with 342 receiving advice and signposting, and the remaining 227 receiving further RBL support.
The British Ambassador to Spain, Hugh Elliott said: “As with most voluntary organisations, the COVID-19 pandemic has added to the RBL’s workload and, as their Patron in Spain, I know how busy Pamela has been over the past two years, managing and supporting an increasing number of calls to the helpline. This honour is very richly deserved.”
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