• Caroline Rae has been named in His Majesty the King’s birthday 2023 Honours List of Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE).
Newham’s Libraries and Community Assets Manager, Caroline Rae has been awarded an MBE. This follows the announcement made on Monday 19 June on the OBE awarded to Beverley Halligan for her services to the public sector.
Caroline who has led Newham’s library service for 7 years has been awarded the honour for her commitment to library services in Newham and across London.
Apart from her role in Newham, Caroline is an executive member of London Libraries (regional branch of Libraries Connected) 2017-present, where she was president from 2018-22 and treasurer since 2022. She is the Libraries Connected Universal Digital Offer Regional Lead for London, a role she’s held since 2017 and Libraries Connected Advisory group member since 2018. She has also been a strategy group member of The Libraries Consortium (a consortium of 23 library authorities across London and surrounding counties who share books and resources and work to deliver a cost-efficient, quality library service) for over 10 years. She has also been a member of The Reading Agency Summer Reading Challenge strategy group since 2021.
Caroline Rae, Libraries and Community Assets Manager said: “It was a humbling surprise to have my name included in such a prestigious list and to be recognised for the work I love and hold dear. I have worked for public libraries for over 22 years and my driving force has always been to improve the lives of children through reading.
“This award is an acknowledgement of the impact libraries and libraries services has in transforming and elevating the community and enabling children to overcome disadvantages faced by inequalities.”
Colin Ansell, Interim Chief Executive of Newham Council said: “Huge congratulations to Beverley and Caroline who have been honoured by the King in his first birthday honours.
“Beverley has been working in Newham for 35 years through what, at times, have been some seriously challenging times. She has been pivotal in the improvement journey of our Children’s Services, and a true innovator in the way she has transformed the training and support of our social work team.
“Caroline has been with our library and community assets service for seven years, again during an unprecedented period of challenge, not least the pandemic. Her dedication to the people of Newham has meant she and her team have brought residents together with support and care when they have most needed community cohesion.
“Both Caroline and Beverley are exemplary servants of the people of Newham and they richly deserve their honours.”
Natalie Orringe, Chief Marketing Officer said: “We are extremely delighted that Caroline has been included in this year’s Honour’s List, a well-deserved accolade for the outstanding work she does with the libraries team in Newham, and their commitment to ensuring our children and young people have access to libraries and the opportunity to develop a love of reading.
“One of our many library initiatives is the Summer Reading Challenge, developed by The Reading Agency and delivered in partnership with public libraries, which has around 39,347 children in Newham taking part each summer. This a perfect example of how Caroline is ensuring that our children and young people have access to a high-quality library service.”