King's Birthday Honours: BEM for Jordanstown woman Janice

The list was published on Friday, June 13 with dozens of people from all walks of life in Northern Ireland receiving recognition.

Janice Greer was awarded for her services as a volunteer to the Royal Ulster Constabulary George Cross Foundation.

News of the honour came in May shortly before her 70th birthday. “I was absolutely delighted,” Janice said. “It was a lovely early birthday present, but it was hard to keep it quiet until the list was published!”

Widowed in 1999, Janice joined the RUC Widows’ Association and later became the group’s chairperson.

In 2003, she became involved with the Royal Ulster Constabulary George Cross Foundation after the group issued a call for volunteers to help care for its new memorial garden.

The Foundation, which was established for the purpose of marking the sacrifice and honouring the achievements of the RUC, established the memorial space at Knock Road, Belfast as a major tribute to policing in Ireland.

“We would go up to the garden every fortnight on a Thursday, between April up to Remembrance. We do weeding, transplanting, tidying up and washing things down,” Janice said. “It’s a lovely memorial to the officers.

"It’s different being a widow as a lot of the volunteers are ex-members, but there’s a nice social aspect to it. It’s been a real lifeline for me. I remarried eight years ago and it keeps me in touch with the RUC family."

Janice added she was looking forward to attending the Honours investiture ceremony with her husband at Hillsborough Castle later this year.