ECT Charity Chief Executive, Anna Whitty, collected her MBE on 3rd February 2017 at Buckingham Palace, which she received as part of the Queen’s 90th Birthday Honours List.
Mrs Whitty was presented with her award by HRH The Prince of Wales in recognition of her major contribution to community transport, both locally and nationally.
Speaking about the experience of collecting her MBE, Mrs Whitty commented: “It was such a wonderful day and I was delighted to be able to share it with my family. Everyone at the Palace was so helpful and ensured the day was a truly special occasion for all recipients and their guests. Prince Charles showed great interest when I explained ECT Charity’s work in enabling semi-housebound, lonely and isolated people leave their homes, as well as the accessible transport we provided during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. He was incredibly kind making it a personal and emotional day. Of course, none of this would have been possible without the hard work and dedication of everyone at ECT Charity with whom I have the privilege of working.”
On a national stage, Mrs Whitty has driven a series of high-profile engagements that have put community transport on the map and in the spotlight for both its quality of service and the positive impact it makes.
Sir Peter Hendy CBE, former Commissioner, Transport for London, now Chair of Network Rail, said: “I am delighted that Anna Whitty has been made a Member of the Order of the British Empire. She has worked tirelessly for a large part of her working life to champion the needs of people for whom regular public transport cannot offer the solution for their essential journeys. Under Anna’s leadership, ECT Charity has matured into a hugely successful organisation with high quality operations both in London and elsewhere. She and ECT Charity have set the highest standard for the provision of accessible transport and raised the level of understanding of the benefits of this with Government and other major opinion-formers nationally.”
Image courtesy of British Ceremonial Arts Limited
