COVID hero Louise Hadley has been awarded a BEM in the New Year’s Honours for the work she did to support customers and staff at her M&S store during the pandemic.

The Wordsley mum has a ‘whatever it takes’ attitude to looking after her shoppers and colleagues and has gained her award for services to customers and the community.

During lockdown Louise, a section manager at M&S Simply Food in Harborne, regularly went to work hours before her shift started to do shopping for customers who were unable to leave their homes due to Covid-19.

She took calls from customers at home and then came into store with their shopping lists, doing their shopping for them and delivering it to their doorsteps before starting her own day job.

She’s also had her own personal setback this year when she suffered a stroke this August, but says she is lucky to be supported by brilliant colleagues, as well as her two grown up children.

But it’s no surprise that she gets that support from her workmates, for they say they ‘respect and adore’ her.

Louise works closely with local food bank projects to support them through the M&S food donations scheme.

In September 2019 she helped to raise thousands of pounds for the Macmillan charity by organising activities in store, including having her own head shaved.

Modest Louise was so ‘gob-smacked’ when she got a call from the Cabinet Office that she asked them to send her an email to make sure no-one was pulling my leg!

“I still can’t really believe it. During the pandemic, my approach has been to stay calm and look after my staff and customers.

“We have people who have been shopping with us for many years and I’m keen to be there for them – whatever this takes.”

The full list of local winners is

OBE

Christine Ann Hill. Headteacher, Westminster School, Rowley Regis. For services to Children and Young People with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. (Stourbridge)

MBE

Dr Paul Harrison. Clinical Director, Black Country Pathology Services. For services to Pathology in the West Midlands, particularly during the Covid-19 Response. (Stourbridge)

Janet Olwen Lear. Founder and Headteacher, Black Country Wheels School, Stourbridge. For services to Education in the West Midlands. (Halesowen)

Haleema Yousaf. Team Leader, Fair Access and School Exclusions, Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council. For services to Children and Young People with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. (Solihull, West Midlands)

BEM

Louise Hadley. Section Manager, Marks and Spencer. For services to Customers and the community in Harborne, Birmingham during the Covid-19 Response. (Stourbridge)

Stephen John Sharples. For services to the community in Stourbridge. (Somerset)