Annie Green receives MBE for services to vulnerable children

Annie Green, the co-chair of Childline Gibraltar, has received an MBE for services to vulnerable children in Gibraltar during a ceremony at Windsor Castle where the honour was presented by King Charles III.

Mrs Green said she was “in shock” when she first received the news from the Governor, Lt Gen Sir Ben Bathurst, last year and described the recognition as a tribute to the wider team behind the charity.

“I really must stress that I haven't achieved anything without this team, and without my fellow trustees,” Mrs Green said.

She recognised that this award is due to the charity, its 92 volunteers, CEO Caroline Carter and the trustees.

“I could not have achieved anything without my fellow trustees, all of whom are experts in their particular field, all of whom I can call on any time, day or night,” she said.

“That support is wonderful.”

Mrs Green said the award reflected the collective work of trustees, staff and volunteers who have helped expand Childline Gibraltar’s services over the past decade beyond the helpline.

She highlighted the role of the charity’s CEO, Caroline Carter, whose appointment was made possible through a substantial anonymous donation around five years ago.

“Caroline has taken this organisation stratospherically,” Mrs Green said.

“She has gathered around her an excellent team.”

The ceremony at Windsor Castle was attended by Mrs Green’s husband Stuart, her daughter and her son-in-law, who serves in the military.

She said the ceremony was a special moment for the whole family and one of the best days of their lives.

“It was fantastic,” she said.

“The King was smiling and said ‘Childline in Gibraltar’ when I approached.”

“I was able to explain just a little bit about the way that we operate our services in Gibraltar.”

During the brief conversation, Mrs Green also referred to the Domestic Abuse Recovering Together (DART) programme, delivered by Childline Gibraltar and established three years ago by the Minister for Equality, Samantha Sacramento.

Mrs Green also told the King that Queen Camilla is patron of one of the charities that helped provide training for the DART programme which Childline Gibraltar provides.

She has been involved with Childline for 18 years after first joining as a helpline volunteer shortly after returning to live in Gibraltar.

Childline was a relatively new charity in Gibraltar at the time having been set up two years prior.

Mrs Green chose the charity as she had been working in an adult male prison, specifically with sex offenders, for two years before her move to Gibraltar.

“My post was funded by a charity and so therefore, when I had to resign, I felt a bit guilty that I should be leaving after receiving this very specialist training,” she said.

“The chairman of the charity said to me: ‘don't worry. Maybe when you go to Gibraltar, you may have an opportunity to put some of this in action somewhere’.”

That is exactly what Mrs Green did. She saw an advert in the Chronicle where Childline was advertising for helpline volunteers and decided to volunteer.

“I wasn't able to benefit the prison charity that I worked for, and so I felt a bit better that I could put it to good use in Childline,” she said.

She has been the co-chair of Childline Gibraltar alongside Patrick Canessa since 2018, and described how, over the years, the charity has developed to adapt to local needs.

“Patrick is an extremely altruistic guy,” she said.

“I could never have achieved any of that without him, my fellow trustees and the team.”

Over time, she said, the organisation expanded in response to needs identified locally.

Childline’s 92 volunteers support its services, including the helpline and the Appropriate Adult service, where trained volunteers assist juveniles in police custody.

Some 28 volunteers man the AA service rota which operates 24 hours a day, but are called out most often in the early hours of the morning.

“I'm always the fallback because human nature, in the middle of the night, somebody might forget to leave their phone on so the RGP will call me,” Mrs Green said.

Despite the growth of the organisation and the number of volunteers involved, she said its work continues to rely on strong community support and donations.

Funding assistance also comes from organisations, including the Kusuma Trust and the Isola Foundation, but the charity is always looking out for more donations.

Reflecting on the honour, Mrs Green said the award came at a particularly meaningful time as Childline Gibraltar marks its 20th anniversary this year.

“It really does make it extra special,” she said. “It was a huge honour.”