Dunstable make Award to Mrs Melanie Parker

The Rotary Club of Dunstable, since 1972, has made an annual award to persons or organisations who have served the community well and the award this year goes to Mrs Melanie Parker from Toddington for her outstanding contribution to fund raising for The Royal British Legion.

Melanie was born in Toddington, where her father taught PE at the secondary modern school which latterly became Parkfields School.

Her Mother June was involved with Brownies in Dunstable and when she moved to Toddington took over the running of the 1st Toddington Brownies. On her retirement, she had completed 60 years in guiding. Melanie followed in her Mother’s footsteps, joining the brownies, then the guides, and then became a young leader. She continues to be involved with the Brownies and Rainbows. Next year Melanie will have been involved in the guide movement for 40 years.

While this is quite an achievement in itself, there is more to come! Her mother also became involved in the Toddington Branch of the Royal British Legion, but in 2008 they needed an accountant and June volunteered Melanie! She also took on the role of poppy appeal organiser which she has done every year since then. In that first year, a little over £5,000 was raised and this has increased every year, so that the total in the last full year was over £13,000.

The total raised so far during this poppy appeal year, which runs to September, is very nearly £12,000 already. Of this total over £1,700 was collected at the Remembrance Service on Toddington Green. To date Melanie and her team have raised almost £80,000 since 2008.

I think you will agree that this is a magnificent effort particularly bearing in mind the size of Toddington. You can just imagine the huge amount of work Melanie puts into the poppy appeal each year and I know that the Legion is most grateful for all that hard work.

For that alone I would commend her for our award but taken together with her commitment to the guiding movement I think you will agree that Melanie is a worthy recipient of the award. She works full time, and has a husband and two children to look after and her daughter Kayleigh has in turn followed her Mother through brownies, guides and is now a young leader.


John Bryant
Rotary Club of Dunstable
Date Added:- 19/03/2017