Charity supporter made MBE in King’s Birthday Honours
Britain’s Got Talent winner Colin Thackery, who raised thousands of pounds for the breast cancer unit at our hospital, has been appointed an MBE in the King’s Birthday Honours.
The 95-year-old Chelsea pensioner received his honour for services to Charitable Fundraising and to the Armed Service Community.
Colin, a Korean War veteran, captured the hearts of the nation with his amazing voice, winning Britain’s Got Talent in 2019 and a slot at the Royal Variety Performance.
In the following years, he returned from his home at the Royal Hospital in Chelsea to play a charity concert at the Assembly House in Norwich, raising money for the Boudicca Breast Cancer Unit.
The cause is one which is close Colin’s heart after his wife, Joan, died from breast cancer in 2016 and was cared for at NNUH during their time living in Norfolk.
Colin continued to support the charity and dedicated messages to staff during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Speaking after hearing the news of his MBE, Colin said: “I am deeply honoured and grateful to His Majesty the King to receive the MBE and thoroughly look forward to the opportunity to attend Buckingham Palace later in the year for what will be a proud occasion for my family and me.
“I am proud of the work I have been able to do in support of our Country and will continue to do everything I can to help those less fortunate than I.”
Colin has given 79 years of service to the UK since joining the British Army at the age of 15 and has shown an extraordinary commitment to charitable work both before and since his time in the limelight.
Having grown up in Camden during the Blitz, Colin joined the Army in 1946 and was a soldier for nearly 25 years, seeing active service in Malaya and Korea. He has formed a particular bond with the Republic of Korea and he was invited to return by the Korean Government in 2023, for the first time since 1952, to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Korean War Armistice where he took part in a number commemorative events including singing in front of the President and other dignitaries.
Following the death of Joan, he became a Chelsea Pensioner in 2017 and has been continually involved in supportive work of the British Army and related Remembrance activities up and down the country.
Julie Cooper, Head of N&N Hospitals Charity, said: “We are delighted that Colin has received this much-deserved honour in recognition of his services to charity and the armed service community.
“We were privileged to have his support for our Boudicca Breast Cancer Appeal and his wonderful concert at the Assembly House remains a wonderful memory for everyone there.”
If you would like to support our Breast Cancer Appeal, you can make a donation https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/boudicca or for more information contact charity@nnuh.nhs.uk