UPDATE: 16 February 2024
After being nominated in the King’s Birthday Honours last year, we’re pleased to share that David Warner, chair of Local Trust, has attended his investiture ceremony to formally receive his MBE. David is pictured here accepting the prestigious award from Anne, Princess Royal, recognising the 35 years he has spent championing local communities and voluntary action.
On receiving his MBE, David said “I was honoured to accept this award in recognition of all the different communities that I’ve worked with, and been a part of, over the last 35 years, most recently the amazing 150 Big Local areas, all of which have local people and activists at their heart.”
If you look at this year’s King’s Birthday Honours, you might recognise a familiar name. David Warner, chair of Local Trust, has been awarded an MBE in the King’s Birthday Honours list, recognising the 35 years he has spent championing local communities and voluntary action.
David’s leadership has helped Local Trust successfully deliver the Big Local programme, supporting thousands of residents living in 150 deprived areas across England to transform their neighbourhoods. Each Big Local area is unique and projects have included new community hubs, food initiatives, projects, new parks, solar farms, small-scale events and activities over more than a decade of resident-led community action.
Drawing on learning from the Big Local programme, Local Trust has increasingly sought to share its insights on developing new data and metrics mapping social infrastructure across the country and supporting the work of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on ‘left behind’ neighbourhoods.
Local Trust also played a leading role in building the cross-sectoral Community Wealth Fund Alliance, which earlier this year was successful in its campaign to persuade the government of the case for committing dormant assets to rebuilding the social fabric of ‘left behind’ neighbourhoods.
David Warner said: “I am delighted to receive this MBE. I consider it to be a recognition not only of my contribution but of the contributions of all the fantastic organisations and individuals I have worked with over the years, in particular the thousands of dedicated local volunteers who deliver the Big Local programme and make it such a success.
“It has been one of the greatest pleasures and privileges of my career to be able to meet them, hear about their work and lead an organisation that is supporting them as they transform their communities.”
I consider it to be a recognition not only of my contribution but of the contributions of all the fantastic organisations and individuals I have worked with over the years.”
Matt Leach CEO of Local Trust said: “This honour is very well deserved. Throughout his career David has been an incredible advocate for the potential of local people to make a difference in their own communities and offered real leadership in helping make that a reality.
“The success of both the Big Local programme and the Community Wealth Fund campaign are a testament to both his leadership and ability to achieve real impact through his work.”
Alongside his Local Trust role, David is currently a trustee of the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough and acts as a cheerleader for the community initiatives that make up a large part of its work. He is also a trustee for Coast & Vale Community Action (CaVCA – the local community development organisation for Northeast Yorkshire). David has also supported the Two Ridings Community Foundation and played a particularly important role during the COVID-19 pandemic in ensuring that local organisations received the right funds at the right time to deliver effective responses.
David has had a long career in the voluntary sector, holding a number of senior roles including Director of Homeless Network, Chief Executive of the National Animal Welfare Trust and Director of London Funders – the organisation that brings together philanthropic funders in the capital.
In the last of these roles, David was instrumental in establishing the London Emergencies Trust – a specialist charity tasked to respond to terrorist and other major incidents in London. He also brought funders together in response to the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017, setting up systems and processes which are still relied on in times of crisis and which served as the foundation for the London Covid-19 Community Response Fund.
For more of the latest stories from Local Trust, head to the Local Trust news page.