Michele Masson, President of HELP Vega Baja, has been awarded a British Empire Medal (BEM) in the New Year Honours List. Michele has been given the accolade for services to British Nationals in Spain. There are more than 2,000 British Nationals living in the area covered by the charity and for many of them it has been a lifeline in difficulty times. Since becoming its President in 2015, Michele has steered the charity through the twin challenges of Brexit and COVID, as well as the severe flooding that hit the local community in September 2019. More recently, she has worked with the Ukrainian Association to feed and clothe the high volume of refugees arriving locally.