BCP residents honoured in Queen's Birthday Honours 2022

Avonbourne Gym Club founder Patricia ‘Pat’ Mathie and former Poole mayor Louvaine ‘Lou’ Knight will receive the British Empire Medal (BEM) for services to the BCP region, while Bournemouth resident and professor of infectious diseases at the University of Southampton Saul Faust will be awarded an OBE.

Pat, 64, has coached thousands of children from the ages of 18 months to 18 years old at her gym club in Bournemouth and has been recognised by several organisations for her services to the area.

Originally founded as a small community club just over 17 years ago, Pat has gone on to build Avonbourne Gym Club into a local institution which, at any time, sees her coach more than 300 children.

Avonbourne Gym Club founder Patricia Mathie

“I shall have to buy a new dress I suppose,” Pat told the Echo after learning of her honour. The mother of two said: “I received a letter which was intercepted by my family and then given to me. It gave me quite a shock I must say.

“My family are absolutely thrilled and very proud. But that’s the whole thing about the club, this award isn’t just mine – it’s for everybody at the club. I’m just the captain of the ship, the club works because of everyone.”

Pat has also ensured her club supports children with disabilities including, autism, cerebral palsy, as well as hearing and sight problems.

For more than 36 years, Lou Knight has worked tirelessly at almost every level of the Poole community.

From mayor to councillor, sheriff to activist, Lou may well have missed out receiving his BEM – having mistaken the initial letter for a scam.

Former Poole councillor and activist Louvaine Knight

Lou, 74, told the Echo: “I received this letter apparently from the Cabinet Office and I must admit I thought it was a scam, so just left it for a while.

“Eventually I rang this number up and realised it was real. I was surprised, very surprised. It’s never crossed my mind that I would ever receive something like this and, the more I think about it, the more it feels amazing.”

He has chiefly been recognised for his efforts in improving the conditions and reputation of Turlin Moor in Poole.

He created the Turlin Moor Action Group and began organising activities to bring people in the neighbourhood together, while working closely with Dorset Police to confront the criminal and anti-social behaviour in the area.

Lou concluded: “You don’t expect thanks, you just get on with it and do your best. Promoting Turlin Moor has been very important to me. It had a bad name and I think we’ve achieved a lot over time. They’re a good bunch of people and I share this with them.”

Receiving an OBE, Professor Saul Faust helped spearhead Dorset and Hampshire’s Covid-19 vaccine rollout – leading vital research on new techniques and trials.

Professor Saul Faust

He told the Echo: “It’s a tremendous honour and I must give my thanks to the wider Wessex research teams across Bournemouth, Southampton and Portsmouth who have worked fantastically hard throughout this tough time.”

Saul, 53, has been involved in managing NHS research infrastructure since 2006 and, while mostly based in Southampton, decided to live and raise his family in Bournemouth – where his wife works as a GP.

He has kept the honour quiet, only telling his wife. When asked how his three children, aged 11, 13 and 15, would react to the news, Saul said: “They’ll probably go ‘oh alright then dad’. But they’ve suffered in the last two years because I’ve been completely busy, I look forward to now spending more time with them.”