A Seventh-day Adventist woman has received the queen of England's recognition for her community service.

Joan Saddler, a member of the Hampstead Adventist Church and the London Adventist Chorale, received the Order of the British Empire (OBE) from Queen Elizabeth II during a ceremony on December 6 at Buckingham Palace.

Saddler was recognized for her promotion of equality and diversity in healthcare, volunteer service, and for her work with the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA).
The award was created by King George V in 1917 and is the order of chivalry of British democracy. "Valuable service is the only criterion for the award," states the official web site of the British Monarchy.

Saddler is the second Adventist to receive the order in the last two years. Adventist Pastor John Arthur was also awarded the order in June, 2006 for his work with ADRA.

"As Adventist Christians we must live our values and put our faith into practice and God will bless us," Saddler said during a post award celebration with friends and church leaders at London's Advent Centre.

Saddler has served for years in the voluntary sector mentoring ethnic minorities and publicizing healthcare information for citizens.

In 2003 she became chair of Waltham Forest PCT, which subsequently became the first organization to publish performance evaluations for every general practitioner in the local newspaper.

Joan said: "I am pleased to accept this award as it recognises the contribution of National Health Service (NHS) staff, particularly the unsung heroes in Waltham Forest PCT. I also recognise the importance of this award for black and ethnic minority managers and leaders across the UK. I would encourage them to continue to offer excellent public services to the diverse range of people that we serve."

Saddler, who lives in Chingford, has served on committees for a range of local and regional agencies and is a member of the ADRA-UK board. In 1998 she developed a mentoring program for black women managers in Islington.

Saddler founded Direct Consultancy, which provides research and capacity building programs for Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) communities, and is a founding member of the Haringey Women's Forum, an advice and information service.

She jointly proposed and is co-chair of the National Health Service BME Leadership Forum, which mentors 75 BME leaders in influencing the NHS health and social care policy. [Editors: Richard de Lisser and Christian B. Schäffler for ANN/APD]