A Moray woman who has volunteered for the British Red Cross for the past 50 years has been included in the King’s Birthday Honours.
Liz Tait, who lives in Lossiemouth, has travelled all over the world to support people through the charity’s Psychosocial and Mental Health Team.
She has cared for thousands forced to leave their countries in emergency response situations, including the recently bereaved and families who have witnessed fatal explosions.
Last year, she was deployed on Operation London Bridge to support members of the public queuing to see the Queen lying in state in London, and has now received a BEM for her services to the state funeral.
Her decades of experience from being at the forefront of tragic events meant she was able to read the emotional state of the public and support those for whom the death of the Queen triggered memories of grief for loved ones.
“It’s an honour to do this work and to receive this is an honour,” she said. “And, it means a lot that it’s my volunteering that has been recognised, especially with the Red Cross.
“As a team, we work extremely hard to help people who face the most difficult challenges in life.
“I was also very privileged to be one of the last people to view the Queen in Westminster Hall, representing the Scottish Red Cross. That was a forever moment.”
Travelling all over the world
The 65-year-old said she was “really surprised” when she was found out she was receiving the BEM, and excited to finally share the news with her husband, Alex, and three daughters, Lois, Sarah and Susanna.
“They will be surprised I think, to them the volunteering is just what mum does,” she added.
Mrs Tait, who works as a clinical governance lead for the NHS in Moray, was first deployed through the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to support people fleeing Beirut in 2006.
She has since been involved with emergencies including the Chinese earthquake in 2008, the Tunisia terror attack in 2015, Hurricane Irma in Dominica in 2017 and the Afghanistan evacuation in 2021.
Through the charity, she was also part of teams that have responded to the Manchester arena bombing, Grenfell Tower fire and Shoreham Air Show disaster.
Her most recent deployment was to Cyprus when the violence erupted in Sudan in April as part of the UK Government’s operation to rescue more than 2,450 people.
She said: “I’ve had a very varied volunteering career which has taken me across the world in different capacities.
“It is so important to be able to do this work in order to ensure people who are in crisis or affected by disasters can receive the correct support.
“I also have to thank my colleagues in NHS Grampian who have been very supportive of my volunteering work over the years.”
Conversation