Shoreham man made an MBE in the King’s Birthday Honours for outstanding leadership at British Red Cross
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Paul Thompson, 62, was thrilled to hear the news of his award after more than 30 years of work with the organisation.
He serves as the British Red Cross director of retail and has played a key part in raising more than £414million for the charity under his leadership.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdPaul said: "I’m still somewhat shocked. I’ve been with the organisation for a long time, and I never thought that this might come. But I’m really delighted.”


The charity responds to disasters and emergencies of all kinds, supporting people in the UK and around the world, and it said Paul’s work with the retail team had a profound impact on the lives of countless people affected by crises.
In the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire in London in 2017, Paul and his colleagues sorted through more than 211 tonnes of items donated by the public, distributing much-needed items and selling others to raise money to support those affected.
"In the days after the fire, people there were piles of donated goods lining the street,” Paul recalls.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad"There was a real outpouring of support and affection but all of these goods needed to be collected and sorted, and if you’d laid them all out, there would have been enough to cover two football pitches.
"We ended up taking everything to some massive postal warehouses we’d been given the use of, and there was so much more than we could distribute to the families. But I was glad that we were able to sell those excess goods to raise money for the people affected, because otherwise those very heartfelt donations might have ended up going to landfill.”
In the course of his career, Paul has been involved in responses to more than 80 major emergencies, including the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine, when he led fundraising efforts which saw British Red Cross charity shops accept more than £1million in cash donations.
He also led the organisation’s retail outlets through the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, taking the difficult decision to close their doors days before the official announcement of a nationwide lockdown – a step intended to protect staff, volunteers and customers.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad"It was a terribly tough day when we made that decision,” Paul says.
"But we knew the government was likely to declare a lockdown before long, and we decided to get that couple of days head start and shut down around 320 shops.
"Throughout lockdown we had to keep our staff and volunteer contacts up to date, stay in touch with them and be ready to re-open when we safely could. And I’m really pleased with how we’ve bounced back from that difficult time; 2023-2024 has been our strongest year to date.”
Although thrilled to be made an MBE, Paul was quick to praise the colleagues he has worked with in his years with the British Red Cross.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad“I’ve had such talented people around me,” he says. “To work with those kinds of people, I feel completely blessed.”
British Red Cross chief executive Béatrice Butsana-Sita said Paul was an outstanding leader.
She added: "He is a truly valued colleague, and he embodies our values in everything he does. He and his team have made a huge contribution to our work supporting people affected by disasters and emergencies here in the UK and around the globe, and we are incredibly proud of him.”
Comment Guidelines
National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.