Posted on: 11th June 2025

On Tuesday, 20 May 2025, David Paterson BEM was among 7,000 distinguished guests welcomed to Buckingham Palace for the Royal Garden Party. The invitation was extended in recognition of his British Empire Medal, awarded for him outstanding service to disadvantaged communities in Leeds.

David leads Unity in Poverty Action, a project dedicated to uniting the Christian community and the broader city in the fight against poverty. Under the umbrella of the Leeds Christian Community Trust, the initiative oversees the Leeds Homeless Charter, coordinates Pray4Leeds, and chairs the Food Aid Network—each a vital part of the city’s support network for vulnerable people.

On this beautiful spring afternoon, guests wandered through the Palace’s South Lawn, enjoying traditional refreshments of tea, sandwiches, and strawberries and cream beneath bunting-decked marquees.

In attendance were Prince William and the Princess of Wales, along with the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice, adding a royal sparkle to the occasion.

Two weeks later, on 3rd June, Dave went to the West Yorkshire Lieutenants' residencies at Bowcliffe Hall, Bramham, to receive their medals. He shares:

"The best part was hearing citations (accounts) of what the different medalists had accomplished, which included aid work in the Middle East, setting up a baby bank, a Holocaust survivor who shares her story with schools, and being a first responder with the Yorkshire Ambulance. 

So many people I know deserve a medal for the good work they do, and I’m sorry this can’t happen for everyone. It’s nice to be recognised for work supporting disadvantaged people in Leeds and West Yorkshire, but as ever, the work continues, and I pray we all can know God's peace and love wherever we go to serve others."

Congratulations to David Paterson BEM on a truly well-deserved honour.