JEDDAH, 3 January 2007 — Three British women in Jeddah have been awarded MBEs in the Queen’s New Year Honours list. The honors, announced officially on Jan. 1, cited the three — Judy Houry, Jayne Yaghmour and Janet Lauchlan — for their services in the local community with children and families.
Houry received her award for her long work with riding for the disabled; Yaghmour for her work with children with special needs and charities in Jeddah; and Lauchlan for her involvement with providing support for the education and schooling of underprivileged children.
“We are all very proud and pleased by these awards,” said Gerard Russell, British Consul General in Jeddah. “It’s recognition of their work which we have all seen and been very impressed with.”
He said that it also shows that the British community in Saudi Arabia was active in its support of others — not just UK citizens but for the community at large.
“It’s also recognition by the UK government of the community here,” he said, “and shows that it does care about the community in the country. To have three honors in one year, especially in a small community like this, is very significant.”
Commenting on the achievements of the three, he said that the work with riding for the disabled — which involves encouraging children, under very close supervision, to ride horses.
“I have seen the effect on children firsthand,” he said. “And it brings them tremendous enjoyment and after only three or four lessons it brings about significant changes in their behavior.”
Houry, resident and visitor to Saudi Arabia for over 30 years, also holds the distinction of being the first foreign businesswoman to hold a visa to enter the Kingdom in her own right.
Yaghmour, a 20-year resident in the Kingdom said she was “shocked” when she first heard of the award.
“I felt embarrassed,” she said, “because it’s a joint award for all the people in our group and what we do together.”
The group, currently helping 19 children, provides support by supplying equipment and materials to community schools.
Lauchlan said that she was overcome when she heard of the honor, communicated to the three women some eight weeks before publication.
“I was part of a team that earned it through dedication and persistence,” she said from her home in the UK. The group she chaired raised considerable sums for Saudi special needs children and for charities in Jeddah. “I was conscious of what our group of women had gone through to get the recognition that ended up with this award,” she said.
Houry echoed the sentiment.
“The first word that springs to mind was ‘humbled,’” she said. “I felt like an embarrassed Oscar winner wanting to thank all the people who brought me to this point.”
She said that her work with the disabled brought her all the thanks she needed from the children.
“What is really rewarding is to see whole families working together with their child on a horse doing something that perhaps even their able bodied siblings can’t do,” she said. “It gives the child a new perspective and self respect. That’s a real reward.”
Russell said that the nice thing about honors was not just that they drew attention to people but the things that they do and that provided inspiration to others.
“We can look at that and think ‘What can I do to help,’” he said.
The emphasis in the honors list this year was not so much on state servants but on a wide variety of people and professions and the contributions they have made to their communities.
“The significance of the choices is that they are role models — people we can admire and learn from,” he said.
