Haywards Heath grandfather gets OBE for services to business and charity

A grandfather who helped save Rolls-Royce after it was declared bankrupt in 1971 has been recognised in the Queen's Birthday Honours.
Haywards Heath man Guy Parsons is awarded an OBE. Pic Steve Robards  SR1616248 SUS-161006-194432001Haywards Heath man Guy Parsons is awarded an OBE. Pic Steve Robards  SR1616248 SUS-161006-194432001
Haywards Heath man Guy Parsons is awarded an OBE. Pic Steve Robards SR1616248 SUS-161006-194432001

Retired accountant Guy Parsons, 90, was awarded an OBE for services to business and charity.

He was a senior partner at auditing firm KPMG, was appointed liquidator for many companies and undertook overseas projects for the Government including setting up electrical board authorities and an airline company.

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Mr Parsons said he was proud of the key part he played in creating Rolls-Royce Motors after he was appointed liquidator for the car business when it became bankrupt in 1971.

He said he was pleased to receive his honour and added: “I believe I’ve earned it but I was quite surprised it has come at this late stage in my life.”

The retired chartered accountant also set up and is a trustee of The Lynn Foundation, a charity which annually makes some 500 grants to help people with disabilities.

Mr Parsons has run the charity since he set it up in 1985 for his client Mr Lynn, who invested millions of pounds into the cause. Mr Parsons said he deals with more than 100 letters per week asking for help.

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“I’ve had a good life and took a lot out and I want to put something back in and I’m very interested in helping disabled people, I enjoy to be able to help them financially,” he added.

Mr Parsons lives with his wife Frances in Lewes Road, Haywards Heath. He and his late first wife Mary have a son Philip, 59, who is also a trustee for the charity. Mr Parsons has two grandchildren.

His Government work included dealing with companies which went broke after the Suez Crisis in Egypt in 1956, setting up Solomon Islands airline SOLAIR and electrical board authorities in Oman and Yemen.

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