Watton stalwart Jan Godfrey receives MBE from Prince Charles

18 November 2009

Yesterday will be a day to remember for Watton's Jan Godfrey after she walked the red carpets of Buckingham Palace to receive her MBE and returned with a greeting for Wayland from Prince Charles.

A town stalwart, Mrs Godfrey was made an MBE earlier this year for her services to young people and the community in Wayland.

A teacher at Wayland Community High School for 35 years, she has gone on to be a leading light in the town involved in the Wayland Partnership and Watton Festival, amongst others.

Speaking shortly after meeting the Prince, she said: “It was lovely, it was great.

“I met so many nice and interesting people and I was very impressed with the range and number of people and how many young people there were. I was a little disappointed it was Prince Charles, everyone hopes it will be the Queen.

“But he was absolutely charming.”

After asking how long she had been a teacher, and showing surprise it was 35 years, he asked about the Wayland Community.

Mrs Godfrey said she said to him: “In my view this is for all the people who worked for the community.”

His reply was: “Send them all my love.”

It was a long day for Mrs Godfrey, starting at 6am.

She was transported to the palace from and back to her Watton home by a limousine courtesy of Eirlys Johnson, a town funeral director and ex-pupil of Mrs Godfrey.

Mrs Godfrey, who finished at Wayland High as acting head teacher, went on to set up Watton Art Society, which went on to establish the week long Watton Festival, of which she is vice-president.

A member of the team which established the Wayland Partnership, Mrs Godfrey is chairman of trustees of the organisation and as part of her role she also sites on the Breckland Local Strategic Partnership.

She was also instrumental in forming the Wayland Youth Council in 2001.

However, she said the award was not just for her: “It is not just for me, there are so many people who do so many things, from the farmer market to the tourist information centre.

“I have been a figure head but it would be foolish if it was ever thought this was just for me. It was great to mark 10 years of the partnership this year and this is another marker.”

She said the greatest achievement had been communities in Wayland working much more closely and supporting each other.

“I think that is the thing that gives me the greatest satisfaction,” she said.

Mrs Godfrey was accompanied to the palace by her husband Ken, neice Martine Goody and great neice Hannah Barker.