British Empire Medal for Corby man George Hill who has dedicated past decade to volunteering on Kingswood and Hazel Leys estates

George Hill has been given the British Empire Medal in the King’s birthday honours list for his work with KHL Big Local since its inception in 2012.

Initially funded by a £1m lottery grant, the group was set up to improve the lives of people living on the Kingswood and Hazel Leys estates, two of Corby’s most deprived areas.

Sine then the project has gone on to start a range of community schemes, projects and events that have helped bring the estates to life and improve community cohesion.

It will finish its run in December when the funding comes to an end.

At its helm has been chairman George Hill, who has dedicated countless hours to rallying, corralling, organising, and managing the group’s incredible activities which have included the annual Field Day Festival, the setting up of a community shed and building a new skatepark for Kingswood.

He said: “Obviously the BEM is good for the ego but I’ve worked and collaborated with so many people over the years that this has really been a team effort.

"We don’t tend to give ourselves credit when we do good things but this is a good chance for me to say to myself ‘well done George’.”

After leaving the army, George arrived in Corby from Greenock in the mid 1980s as his brother already lived in the town. He moved around a bit but eventually settled on the Kingswood about 25 years ago, and gradually became involved in advocating for his community.

"There was a platform for me to land on in Corby,” he said.

"My bother had a house and a start like so many other people.”

He said that people on the estates are just keeping their heads above water and KHL Big Local can offer them access to the arts that they wouldn’t otherwise be able to get involved with.

"We only touch a small percentage of people,” he said.

“We only just touch the sides but our job is to engage with as many as we can.”

The group has collaborated with a host of other community organisations including Made With Many, local beat bobbies, charities Corby Council, and Corby Community Arts.

George said: “It takes time to build those relationships and to build trust in a community.

“There have been so many people involved along the way including those we have lost like my great friend Brian Dunn who died two years ago.

“Initially when we formed 12 years ago we joined together the two estates to form a partnership to try to come up with a community plan.

"We wanted to make sure we represented our communities and that it wasn’t just ten of us sitting around a table with our own ideas. Sometimes people are parachuted into these things and that wouldn’t have worked here.

"This was a community project and we wanted to let people know that it’s our community and our decisions to make.”

George’s proudest achievements include the annual Field Day Festival which involves dancing, music, food and celebration. The group was also a key player in attracting a £250,000 lottery grant to revamp the estate’s skatepark and MUGA.

But his crowning glory is the KHL Community Workshop. It’s a facility set up to provide space for local people to create and build.

On offer are woodwork, 3D printing, sewing, and artist collaborations. There have been masterclasses in pottery, lace making, sculpture and sewing.

George said: “Six or seven years ago we identified a need for a space around woodworking and sewing and other crafts and the community shed was born.

"That’s a real highlight for me and it will be part of our legacy. It’s been running for two years now and it’s really thriving.”

When KHL draws to a close at the end of this year, George intends to concentrate on his artwork.

He said: "There’s a great Richard Attenborough speech where he says ‘The arts are not a luxury. They are as crucial to our wellbeing, to our very existence as eating or breathing. Access to them should not be restricted to a privileged few.’

“I want to make sure this partnership will continue its work and that the Field Day Festival will go on.

"It’ll be good to bring this chapter to a close and see some fresh ideas.