A GOOD Samaritan has been recognised in the New Year’s Honours list.

Ruth Sutherland attended St Helena School in Colchester as a youngster.

She is now the chief executive officer of the Samaritans which supports people facing crisis.

Ruth, 58, has received a CBE (Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) for supporting vulnerable people.

Ruth said: “I think if anyone was looking back they would say ‘She has done so much and has come a long way’.

“It was a lack of opportunity more than anything, I think, when I was at St Helena School. I was not expected to go to university or anything like that.”

However, Ruth’s ambition to help others has driven her 40 year vocation in charity and public sectors.

Building a career in the NHS, starting as a carer and nurse, she went on to secure senior leadership positions at charities including Rethink Mental Illness, Alzheimer’s Society, Scope and Relate before joining the suicide prevention charity as chief executive in 2015.

Ruth said: “I feel really happy to be recognised and to be among so many people making positive change. Social justice has been a passion of mine.

“My entire career has been spent working with people who are marginalised and more vulnerable than others, including people with poor mental health and disabilities and people in crisis.

“I hope this work has contributed to change and address social injustice. I feel as passionate as ever that change for good is possible and worth working for.”

She never set out to achieve such an accolade.

She added: “The work I set out to do has been centred around making the service relevant and accessible to future generations and hard to reach groups.

“I feel really pleased for the recognition. If I was my younger self looking forward, I never would have imagined I would be in the place I’m in now.”

Ruth will step down in March for a career change.

She said: “After a deeply fulfilling 40 year career in third sector and public sector roles, I believe the time is right for me to start the next chapter pursuing a portfolio career and family life.

“I am confident the future leadership of Samaritans is in safe hands.”