Barnett helps to run the Troedyrhiw Boys and Girls Club for seven- to16-year-olds in Merthyr Tydfil, south Wales. The 62-year-old has been anintegral part of the club for the last 40 years and says: "I was chuffedwhen I heard I had been awarded an MBE for my work with the club. It wasa total and utter surprise." And he is hoping to take his wife and twodaughters when he goes to receive his award from the Queen at BuckinghamPalace.
Barnett is currently the club's company secretary and has been thedriving force behind a fundraising bid that generated 1m.
"I used to work as an electrician but I retired 10 years ago and pouredmy energy into getting a new building for the club. We applied forEuropean funding, lottery funding, local funding, anything we could getour hands on," he recalls. "It took nine years but we did it and now wehave a professional youth club, which is run as a proper communitycentre.
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