COMMUNITY stalwart Jan Ross returned from a holiday in November to find a brown envelope from the Prime Minister's office on her doormat. And the contents of the letter demonstrated what local people in her home town of Dulverton were well aware of - her outstanding commitment to the Exmoor and wider West Somerset community. The New Year Honours brought an MBE for Jan in recognition of her services over the last 30 years to local organisations and projects for which she has helped raise an amazing £1 million. Although the accolade was a surprise and a delight to Jan, it was the reaction of local people which has provided the "icing on the cake". "I've had so many phone calls, cards and emails offering congratulations and saying such nice things and that has almost been more overwhelming than getting the MBE," she said. Although much of Jan's career has been as a Somerset County Council community worker, it is the time she has dedicated outside the remit of her job that has won her the national honour. Jan, who is married to West Somerset district councillor Keith Ross, came to Dulverton in 1975 to take up her first teaching post at the town's middle school. She spent ten years teaching French and music before taking up a post in community education - latterly adult learning and leisure - but still based at the school, which she helped gain community status. Jan soon gained a reputation for being able to tap into external funding sources to help support community projects, such as improvements to the middle school's foyer and hall, heating its swimming pool, the formation of Exmoor's first out-of-school club and holiday schemes and the creation of the Rural Access Computer Centre. She also spearheaded some major arts-related school-based projects, including the Burridge Woods animated walks, sculpture trails and dance residencies. In her community education role, Jan established a thriving adult learning programme and when she left the school there were more than 500 people each year attending an extensive range of day and evening courses, including computer classes in some of the more remote Exmoor pubs. Away from the school but working as a volunteer Jan has been involved in helping to get dozens of projects and initiatives off the ground. These have included Dulverton Carnival, of which she has been secretary since 1980, Dulverton Festival, the Dulverton and District Twinning Association and the Dulverton Development Forum, which initiated the Guildhall Heritage and Arts Centre for which Jan has been secretary since 1988. The forum was one of the first organisations to become involved with the Take Art village performance scheme and Jan has organised scores of music and theatre events in the town, also becoming a trustee of the Take Art charity in 1999. Her other involvements include helping to organise the annual Perambulation of Exmoor event for more than 20 years and, in the late 1990s, playing a key role in the establishment of the Exmoor Community Computer Centre. She is also on the management committee or a trustee of a further eight local charities. One of Jan's abiding interests has been the West Somerset-based children's play and family support charity CLOWNS. She helped set the organisation up and has been its chairman for the past ten years. "This is my particular passion," she said. "I am so privileged to help support this organisation which makes a positive difference to the lives of so many parents and children but which struggles yearly to raise sufficient funds to keep going. "We have an amazingly dedicated staff team and I am committed to work as a volunteer with this charity to do all I can to help it continue." Jan's job with the county council came to end last year when her post was made redundant due to budget cuts. At the time she was asked how much she had raised for community projects and worked out it came to nearly £1m. Since finishing her paid job Jan has had more time to devote to her interests and although trying not to become involved in any new organisations she has now joined the management committee of Dulverton Town Hall, the Dulverton and District Young People's Project and on the Somerset Opportunity Project panel. She also helps out in the family business, the Tantivy in Dulverton. "I am so lucky to have found myself in such a lovely area where people have rallied round to support me in all these different projects and given so much of their time to support the community," said Jan. "I accept this honour on behalf of all those who have given so many volunteer hours to all the projects I am involved with and I am grateful to them." Photo: Steve Guscott.
