Former Herts staff says New Year Honours recognition “was totally unexpected”
A former staff member at the University of Hertfordshire has spoken about being in “absolute shock” after she was awarded a British Empire Medal (BEM) in the King’s New Year Honours.
Margaret Lines, who worked at Herts’s Learning Resources Centre (LRC), paid tribute to her family and friends saying: “I couldn’t have done it without them”.
The 84-year-old grandmother was told about the honour - bestowed upon people who have made a significant contribution to their local community - a month before it was announced.
She said: “I didn’t tell any of my family or friends when I first got the news, which was hard. I was in absolute shock - it was totally unexpected.”
Mrs Lines ran a not-for-profit playgroup in her home village, Hatfield Heath, for nearly three decades, providing care and support to around 1,000 children, “with support from all my helpers”.
She also fundraises for St Clare Hospice, is a volunteer usher at Harlow Playhouse, takes bookings for two village community buildings, and is a trustee of the Alexia Wilson Trust - which helps families struggling with hardship and poverty.
Mrs Lines’s work with the theatre rose from voluntary work by her late husband Professor Peter Lines, a former pro-vice chancellor at Herts.
Prof Lines was at the university until 2001, starting his career as a lecturer in telecommunications in 1969 before becoming a senior and principal lecturer.
After he passed away in 2013, Mrs Lines helped set up a special bursary, known as The Professor Peter Lines Scholarship, which awards £1,000 each year to a top-performing undergraduate student studying electrical and electronic engineering.
She said: “We set this up in his memory - Peter was a very popular person. It was such a shock when he died but everybody really liked him.”
Last year, engineering graduate Zachary Pearce became the 10th student to receive the scholarship money, which was presented to him by Mrs Lines and her son, Andy, during a graduation ceremony at St Albans Cathedral.
She said: “Zachary is a lovely lad, I was really pleased for him.”
Mrs Lines said volunteering helped fill the time after her husband passed away and believes he would have “been proud” of her achievements.
She joined Herts in 1990 and worked at the university until 2003, and is still in touch with former colleagues through Friends Society, a community for former and retired staff.
She said: “I still meet my friends – and my late husband’s friends - the from university.
“We have a catch-up about once every four months.”
The Professor Peter Lines Scholarship is awarded every year to a top performing undergraduate student studying BEng(Hons) Electrical and Electronic Engineering, details of which can be found here