PUB landlady Pauline Town has been awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for her tireless efforts to help the homeless across Tameside.
The selfless 53-year-old has owned and operated The Station pub in Ashton-Under-Lyne for 30 years, which also doubles as the Tameside hub for the ‘We Shall Overcome’ scheme.
Every day, she gives out approximately 100 home-made packed lunches to the homeless and even considers their pets’ care, accessories and food, among many other things.
Recently, a facility in Tameside, which supports people who are homeless or in crisis, has been named ‘The Town House’ in recognition of and to build on her successful work.
Though forced to close the pub since last year due to the coronavirus pandemic, Pauline has been far from idle after seeing a sharp increase in the number of people needing help.
So great was the demand that she and her brother have decided to postpone reopening The Station until October due to the amount of supplies currently stored in the building.
Her typical 16-hour days include anything from fundraising to collecting clothing, furniture, and food for people in need.
But it’s not just her efforts that make such a remarkable difference across Tameside, as she is quick to praise the many teams and individuals who lend their time to help.
She said: “Obviously I’m over the moon! It was such a surprise and an honour to learn I would be receiving an MBE, but it’s not just for myself that I have accepted it.
“I’ve had loads of people in the past asking me if they could nominate me for different awards, including the Queen’s Honours, but I’ve always said no.
“I don’t like to be singled out as one person among so many amazing people, who are a vital part of the work that we do, to receive recognition.
“So, I have accepted this MBE on behalf of all of the amazing volunteers and groups who, every day, donate their time and energy to making such a massive difference in the community.
“And if this provides us with a means by which to further spread our message in the media and rally more people to our cause, that makes me even more proud to accept it.”