A HOLOCAUST survivor, a former chief constable, a nurse, and the founder of a service helping cut the number of missing children are among the people from Gwent named in the New Year Honours list.

Among them is Renate Collins, 86, from Caldicot, who was awarded a British Empire Medal, or BEM, for her services to Holocaust education.

Mrs Collins was only five years old when her mother put her on board a train from Prague to the UK with just a few possessions, including leather shoes and her ice skates.

She was on the last ‘Kindertransport’ train, which sent Jewish children to safety in the UK without their parents, to leave before World War Two broke out.

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Renate Collins. Picture: www.christinsleyphotography.co.uk

After she left, the Nazis killed 64 members of her family, and is now the sole surviving member of her family.

Mrs Collins has spoken at many national annual Holocaust commemoration events, attended and been involved in all the meetings for the Holocaust Memorial including its commencement at Wembley Stadium.

She also brought the exhibition to Wales, introducing it to the Welsh Assembly at the Millennium Centre in Cardiff.

Giving talks to children at schools, universities, churches and community groups is another way she tells her story – which has been archived at the Weiner Library, the Imperial War Museum and will form part of the new Holocaust Memorial.

“I just go so that they can see someone who has been involved in it,” she said.

She said she was shocked to learn she had been awarded a BEM.

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“I’m amazed," she said. "I never dreamt that this would happen.

“I found out a few weeks ago and my two sons knew as well, before me.

“They managed to keep it a secret from their mother”.

Welsh secretary Simon Hart congratulated Mrs Collins, saying: “Renate’s commitment to ensuring people in Wales are educated about the horrors of the Holocaust is commendable.

“Her story serves as a reminder to us all about the continuing dangers hatred poses to communities in our society.

“I’d like to extend my warmest congratulations to her on receipt of this honour”.

Also awarded a BEM is Sara Goode, the lead nurse for emergency planning t the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, who has been given the honour for her commitment to the NHS.

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Sara Goode

The 50-year-old - who just last month won the Royal College of Nursing Nurse of the Year Award for Innovation for her work in preparing and nurses to deal with emergencies - said she was “absolutely over the moon”.

“I really can’t believe it," she said. "I was in total shock when I received the letter.

“I was shaking, just saying: ‘Oh my God, I can’t believe it.”

Mrs Goode's work has been critical in training nurses to deal with pre-hospital major incidents. Creating a bespoke training course, the programme has ensured that when disaster does strike, respondents are well prepared.

Effectively, nurses are now trained on how to run a casualty clearing station, which allows ambulance services to free up personnel and, critically, means they can devote more time to treating patients.

More than 278 emergency nurses have now been trained, and Mrs Goode has also co-ordinated an on-call system of Medical Emergency Response Incident Team (MERIT), which has been used for international events such as UEFA football matches and the 2014 NATO summit.

Her advice was also vital in the redesign of the new emergency department and entrance at the Royal Gwent Hospital.

Fittingly, it all started at the Royal Gwent.

Mrs Goode began life as a nurse in 1988 at the Royal Gwent and went straight into the A&E department.

Such is her commitment to her job that, when heavy snowfall hit Gwent in 2018, she stayed overnight at the Royal Gwent for a number of days without going home.

It was her work that secured a fleet of 4x4 vehicles and volunteers to safely transport stranded patients and staff.

She has dedicated 29 years of her life to the NHS and she says it was only natural that she became a nurse.

“My grandmother was a nurse, and so was my mother," she said. “So I always wanted to be one."

She said she “couldn’t wait to tell her family” after receiving the letter through the post.

Recipients receive notification of their award several weeks before it is announced but are bound to the strictest confidence.

But her husband was allowed to know and she said he was “really proud of me”.

“I had goosebumps when I was reading the letter,” she said.

Meanwhile, leader of the Gwent Missing Children's Hub Kerry Wade, from Cwmbran, has been made a Member Of The Most Excellent Order Of The British Empire (MBE).

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Kerry Wade. Picture: www.christinsleyphotography.co.uk

The 51-year-old will receive the title for services to the protection of vulnerable children.

The hub is a multi-agency team, the first of its kind in the UK. It was designed to reduce the number of child missing person reports, improve the lives and outcomes of children who go missing and to reduce demand across the various agencies.

Upon hearing the news of her inclusion in the New Year’s Honours list, Ms Wade said: “It was humbling for a start.

“I was so pleased but also very emotional.”

She went on to say that keeping the news a secret from friends and family until the official announcement was ‘a killer’, but that celebrations were planned once everybody had been told.

“We’re having friends and family round for New Year,” she explained.

“We will be having a few bottles of Champagne too I expect.”

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Julian Williams, who retired in June as the Chief Constable of Gwent, has received the Queen's Police Medal.

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Julian Williams

Mr Williams spent 25 years of his 30 years in the police service with South Wales Police, joining the Gwent force as Assistant Chief Constable in 2014.

He subsequently served as Deputy Chief Constable before taking on the role of Chief Constable on July 1, 2017.

In an interview with the Argus shortly before he retired, he said he was proud of overseeing the "significant inroads" made by the force into tackling complex crime.

These, he said, included "cybercrime of a sexual and financial nature".

"Crime has changed in its complexity and often has a digital footprint now. This then brings in more complexities.

“We have risen to the challenges and the force will continue to do this.”

He described working for Gwent Police as "a huge privilege" and to be its Chief Constable as "a real honour", and said his proudest achievement had been ensuring his staff’s well-being.

"We have a huge health and well-being agenda. I am committed to the belief that if we treat people well and with the correct equipment to perform their role, they will do just that," he said.

Another to be awarded a BEM is Amanda Say, 58, from Croesyceiliog, who received the award for services to people with disabilities in Wales.

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Amanda Say. Picture: www.christinsleyphotography.co.uk

Ms Say is wheelchair bound due to a degenerative neurological condition and a car accident. Despite this, she has been an active member of her community and helping other disabled people to achieve their dreams.

“I’m very surprised,” she said. “I didn’t expect it at all, and I have no idea who put my name forward.”

Ms Say is an avid horse rider and has competed in dressage competitions at national level. For the past 13 years she has been a top coach for disabled riders, and has helped many of them to achieve their goals.

She is also a street pastor, rail pastor, district treasurer for scouts and has been part of the South Wales Police Disability Forum.

“It is challenging as I have care and need to fit things in around that and what I am able to do but everybody can do something and it should be encouraged to try and do what you can and not let disability get in the way," she said.

Also receiving a BEM in the New Year Honours is Nick Cann, 56, who has been given the honour for services to stroke survivors and the charity Stroke Association.

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Nick Cann. Picture: Nick Cann

Former businessman Mr Cann, from Chepstow, himself suffered a major stroke in 2013, impairing his speech, mobility, and independence.

Determined not to be defeated by his illness, Mr Cann has since dedicated his life to raising awareness and money for charities that help fellow stroke sufferers to recover.

With the Stroke Association, he set up the Phoenix Project in his native Monmouthshire, to provide a longer-term support service for stroke survivors through meet-ups and help in getting back to work.

And after making improvements in his own mobility and speech, Mr Cann has also fundraised tirelessly for the project. His achievements include a 108-mile cycle ride from Cardiff to Tenby, and 10-kilometre races, raising tens of thousands of pounds for the charity’s work.

Mr Cann is also a passionate singer and proud member of the local Strike a Chord choir, made up of stroke survivors.

Speaking to the Argus this week, Mr Cann said he was “very happy” to be awarded the BEM for his years of dedication to helping others.

Another to be awarded a BEM is retired Chepstow teacher

Brian Ellam, 55, who is originally from Yorkshire but has lived in Tintern since 2005, is to be recognised for services to music after having a significant impact on Chepstow’s music scene.

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Brian Ellam

A graduate of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Mr Ellam retired this summer after 14 years teaching music at Wyedean School.

Since moving to the area, much of Mr Ellam’s work has focused on combatting limited opportunities for musicians by forming the Chepstow Big Band and the Chepstow Junior Band.

He said: “I am very grateful to those who went to the trouble of nominating me. It is nice to think that the work we’ve done has been recognised by the people using the service.”

Mr Ellam’s bands are open to all ages, and sessions are run at Wyedean School and Chepstow Community Music Centre.

As the band’s popularity grew in 2012, Mr Ellam expanded the group to include younger and less able musicians to become part of the Chepstow Junior Band.

“Some people are less academic and their minds might work in different ways,” he said. “But I often find those people have a real talent for music. I love introducing them to the group and seeing them progress.”

In 2015 he established the Chepstow Community Music Centre. The centre is a hub that offers music lessons to students of all ages, with more than 700 people a month using the facility.

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He also created the Joan Ellam Community Trust in memory of his mother in 2015. The bursary enables young people to access music with a half-term of music lessons, and more than 30 students have been awarded the bursary.

“My mother didn’t get the chance to play music much when she was growing up, so she always got us involved and made sure we had the opportunity," he said. "She was passionate about it and I wanted to make sure she was remembered in the right way.

“She believed it was about more than just music and I like to think it is too. I am especially proud of what we’ve done when I see the fulfilment in people’s faces and the friendships made down the years.”

As well as his late mother, Mr Ellam dedicated the award to his wife and three sons, the local community, and Wyedean School.

“It’s a reward for my family who have supported me immensely,” he said. “I am also very lucky to live among nice people in a supportive community, and we’ve had lots of instruments donated to us over the years. I must also thank staff at Wyedean School who allowed me to set the band up in the first place.”

He is already thinking about how he can help to progress the bands, adding: “I’d like to see some of the people I’ve taught be able to take the mantle on and keep moving it forwards. I’ve known many of them for so long that they’re like my own sons and daughters, so I know when I do call it a day I’ll be leaving it in good hands.”

Others to been given awards include former leader of the Welsh Conservatives Andrew RT Davies, who has been awarded a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire. The South Wales Central AM led the group from 2011 until 2018 and was a key player in the Welsh Leave campaign ahead of the 2016 referendum.

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Andrew RT Davies

He said the award was "a huge surprise” and “very humbling”.