We are beyond thrilled to announce that our colleague, Emma Rule, has been awarded the MBE for Services to Homeless People and Aspiring Musicians in the King’s New Years Honours.
Emma founded Musicians Against Homelessness (MAH) in 2016, after she met a suicidal homeless man on Christmas Eve while volunteering for the national charity Crisis. MAH has the dual aims of raising money for Crisis and other local and regional charities, whilst supporting upcoming musicians.
To date, MAH has hosted hundreds of gigs, events, and festival stages, working alongside key music industry figures and artists including Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Blue, Natalie Imbruglia, Scouting For Girls, Example, and Five, to name just a few. Several artists have also supported with special recordings and releases, including James, Imelda May, and Dodgy.
Emma was previously awarded The Points of Light Award by Prime Minister Theresa May and reached the Pride of Britain regional final.
Emma said:
“I was very surprised and shocked to receive a letter from the Cabinet Office in late November, enquiring if I would be happy for the Prime Minister to recommend me to the King for this honour.”
“Over the past decade, I’m grateful to have had the privilege of working with and encountering so many kind, generous, clever, and creative people that have helped to make the project a success across the UK. They all equally deserve some kind of medal!”
“Whilst spending summers traveling across the UK organising our events has been an incredible experience, my work in Cambridge supporting homeless people with award-winning service It Takes A City during the winter months is extremely important to me”.
“We believe that everyone should be treated with respect and dignity, and no one should face their problems alone”
It Takes A City CEO, Lis Silver, said of the award:
“We are delighted that the incredible work that Emma does each summer has been recognised with this award. Not only has she raised money for homeless charities, but her work has shone a spotlight on the increasing numbers of people experiencing homelessness and the important work of homeless services in the sector”.
“We have been thrilled that alongside her work with MAH, Emma has worked for the last five winters as the Resettlement Officer at ITAC, working in a trauma informed way to find the right support and accommodation for the rough sleepers that come into our winter provision, so that they can start their journey away from sleeping on the streets”.
“We have always known the enormous expertise Emma brings to all that she does and are thrilled that her hard work has received this public recognition”.
