Voted Best
ISSUE NO. 1800
2 - 8 January 2020
Newspaper in Spain 2017 & 2018
COSTA BLANCA NORTH
YOUR PAPER, YOUR VOICE, YOUR OPINION
HONOURED
Two of Costa Blanca North’s outstanding residents have been awarded MBEs in the New Year Honours List, published last Friday. MARK PETRIE, Honorary Consul for Denia, has been awarded an MBE for services to British Nationals Overseas, while Brian Thomas McLeod, an entertainer who performs under the name of Stevie Spit, has been awarded a British Empire Medal (BEM) for services to charity. Mark Petrie has provided support to British nationals in and around Denia for over 30 years. He has helped countless citizens in difficult situations such as bereavement, hospitalisation or arrest; first as a volunteer, then as an Honorary Consular Agent and, for the last 11 years, as Honorary Consul. The area in which he works has a huge number of British nationals, more than 7,000 in Javea and Denia alone, and he is so well-known in the local area that he is the first port of call for any British national in trouble. When not working in Spain as one of the Costa Blanca’s top female impersonators, under his stage name of Stevie Spit, Brian McLeod dedicates much of his time to fundraising and has personally assisted scores of charities. Among those he has helped
BEM: Brian Thomas McLeod. are the Elche Children’s Care Home, he almost singlehandedly raised enough money to send Natasha Lynch to the USA for lifesaving medical treatment and, at great risk to himself, he took his drag act to Kabul, where he raised thousands of dollars for local causes. HMA Hugh Elliott said: “It is extraordinary to see nine British nationals awarded at the same time –- a real testament to the depth and diversity of the UK-Spain relationship and to the contribution that so many British nationals make to their communities across Spain. “Mark’s commitment to supporting British nationals is unparalleled. His care for his fellow
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MARK PETRIE: Awarded an MBE. British nationals during the terrible forest fires in Javea in 2016 was extraordinary; identifying the vulnerable, assisting those who had been forced to leave their homes and liaising with the authorities. He is an invaluable part of our consular operation and we and the British community in and around Denia have much to thank him for.” He added: “Stevie (as most people know him) is a truly inspirational fundraiser. His enthusiasm is such that whenever he organises one of his many
impromptu charity fundraisers it is almost a guaranteed success, such is his support from the local Costa Blanca community.” Mark Petrie said: “I was most surprised to receive the phone call from the Ambassador informing me that I had been awarded an MBE for services rendered to British Nationals in Spain. For me it has always been incredibly satisfying to be able to comfort somebody who is in a situation of distress in a foreign country and I feel most honoured.” Brian McLeod said: “In the years when I was flitting in and out of Afghanistan, under the radar of the Taliban in order to raise desperately needed funds for war-torn children, I never dreamed in a million years it would lead to me being awarded a BEM. I’m feeling very honoured to be recognised in this way.”
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