Trip to Buckingham Palace for former Mark Rutherford schoolboy

Paul Broom was awarded the medal in the new year honours list.

He travelled with his family to the palace for the presentation ceremony.

Paul was a resident at Putnoe, Bedford, throughout his childhood and teenage years.

He attended Woodside middle and Mark Rutherford upper schools during the 1980s and 1990s.

When at Mark Rutherford school, he was a member of the Bedford Youth Theatre, with parts in a number of their productions.

After gaining straight A grades at A-level, he went to study at Worcester College in Oxford, said his father Mike Broom.

Before attending university Paul carried out voluntary work in Bosnia shortly after the war ceased there.

“During the period he was taking his degree he went to Mumbai twice working with the street children,” said Mike.

After completing his degree, Paul carried out further voluntary work for a year at a homeless hostel in Oxford.

Paul is employed by the Foreign Office at the High Commission in Singapore.

He was granted his award for services to the UK and Singaporean Government relations.

He is married with two children, a son and a daughter.

An MBE is an award given by the Queen to an individual for outstanding service to the community or local ‘hands on’ service.

The definition of MBE is Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.