3rd April 2024
New Year Honours list.
Betty Smith-Billington, chair of Dorset Traveller advocacy and campaign group Kushti Bok, said it is a "great honour" to be awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) for services to the Gypsy and Traveller communities.
Working closely with Dorset Police and the county’s two councils, Betty has brought better understanding of the Traveller way of life in Dorset.
She said: “It’s really a great honour and feels so good to get recognised, but it’s also is good for the Gypsy and Traveller communities to be recognised.
“But this just says to people that we are not the stereotype that people say we are and we do do a lot for the community.
“We are just normal people: my father served in the Royal Marines, and people say we don’t do anything for the country, but we do.”
