By Sonya Byers OBE, Chief Executive of Women in Transport
In the King’s birthday honours this year, I was delighted to be awarded an OBE (Officer of the British Empire) for services to diversity.
My investiture took place at Windsor Castle on Wednesday 6th November. It was a very special occasion and I was fortunate to be able to share it with my family.
My parents and husband accompanied me to the ceremony. We were warmly welcomed by the lovely staff who were friendly and attentive. We spent some time in the grounds then walked through the beautiful staterooms before waiting in the Waterloo Chamber. The ceremony took place at 11:00 and medals were presented by Princess Anne.
The video of the investiture is available to view below. It shows the preparation ahead of the day and Princess Anne presenting my medal (timestamp 3:26). Her Royal Highness asked about whether I worked in transport, how I got involved and we spoke about women working in transport and the importance of visibility and representation.
We travelled to Windsor by train and made the occasion extra special with an overnight stay. It was lovely to share the occasion with my children who my brother very kindly looked after during the ceremony. We had a lovely leisurely lunch together before returning home. It was a very special and memorable day.
In other news, I’m now half way through my parental leave and our little man turned three months last week. It’s been such a privilege to spend this restful time with my family and know that Women in Transport is thriving in the safe hands of Dal Kalirai and the rest of the amazing team.
I have been keeping busy continuing to volunteer at parkrun both as a Trustee and as a local volunteer for Barking juniors. In fact, on Sunday, I celebrated my 400th volunteer credit!
My thanks as ever to our wonderful members, volunteers, supporters, and team at Women in Transport for creating and sustaining such a wonderful supportive community. I’ll be joining you for Mince Pies and Networking on 10th December in London.
I’m incredibly proud of the positive impact that we have in transport and look forward to being back with you in the new year.
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