A DISABLED volunteer took the trip of a lifetime to collect his MBE from Buckingham Palace.
Wheelchair-bound Allan Millam, 71, from Braintree has spent his working life supporting the community and helping those in need.
Last month, he made the journey from Braintree to Buckingham Palace, where he was awarded a Members of the Order of the British Empire medal for his services to the community.
Mr Millam, who suffers from cerebral palsy, believes that his disability is what has spurred him on with his work over the years.
"I think having cerebral palsy is what inspired me. There are a lot of things that needed changing in society and I sort of used my disability to my advantage to get things done.
"Never in a billion years did I expect to be given an MBE. When I got the letter last November I had to keep picking it up and putting it back down again. I couldn't believe it," he said.
He was awarded the medal as a result of his work with Braintree Crossroads, a charity that provides support to unpaid carers and for his contribution to the Tabor Centre in Braintree, which provides respite care for their full time carers.
Mr Millam was also a councillor for the Braintree District for 35 years, a magistrate for twenty years, and is on the board of Greenfields Community Housing.
"I just like helping people really. You get the rewards from the people you meet," he said.
On February 20 Mr Millam made the journey to Buckingham Palace accompanied by his stepson Derek, who flew in from Australia for the occasion, his stepdaughter Julie and his sister Joan.
There, in the ballroom, it was HRH Prince Charles who presented him with an MBE.
"It was quite scary because you don't quite know what was going to happen," said Mr Millam.
"It was nerve-racking because Prince Charles presented it and you had to go up by yourself, but he was very nice. He said that I have been doing this work for a very long time and that he thought he was a busy man until he met me!
"My stepson said he thought he spoke to me for the longest but I thought it flew by."
But for Mr Millam, who lost his wife Barbara 15 years ago, the day was bittersweet.
"The only sad thing about it was that I really missed my wife not being there.
"She was very much into helping the community – she would have absolutely loved it," he said.
After the ceremony the Crossroads trustees held a meeting so that Mr Millam could show them his medal.
And now that Allan Millam MBE has been recognised for his work in the community, he is unlikely to be stopping any time soon.
"I will go whichever way life leads me but I will continue to do as much as I can for as long as I can."
