AN Army officer from Brightlingsea who volunteered to step up and help deliver news during the pandemic has been recognised in the New Year Honours list.

Lieutenant Theodore ‘Teddy’ Chabo works in the Army’s Educational and Training Services, part of the Adjutant General’s Corps.

But when the pandemic hit back in March the education centre where he teaches in Wiltshire was closed.

Instead of sitting idly he made contact with his local Army media team and volunteered to assist in any way he could.

On his second day he found himself giving media support to troops working on the front line in support of the NHS at the Bristol Nightingale Hospital.

He then went on to deploy with the Military Testing Units which were popping up across the region.

Lt Chabo’s role as go-between for the media and service personnel helped both parties to get their job done and enabled the media to get messages of reassurance to the public.

Recognising that he could not be at all of the sites where personnel might be located, he created a guide for those who may come in contact with the media and this is now the gold standard and issued to all three services across the country before they deploy on Covid related tasks.

Lt Chabo has been awarded a commendation from the Commander of the Standing Joint Command (SJC), Lieutenant General Tyrone Urch CBE, in the New Year Honours List.

Lt Chabo has been in the Army for three years and is from Brightlingsea where his family still live.

He said: “I looked at where I could give best value and as well as teaching, my secondary duty is that of unit communications officer.

“Building on that and experience gained of working with media before I joined the Army, I put myself forward as the lockdown meant I had capacity to give it 110 per cent.

“I was able to run around with media as my focus, whilst being on the same page as the guys on task and taking the pressure off them.

“The real credit should go to the service personnel who were on task 18 hours a day for months on end and I am proud to have been able to help tell their stories.

“I am very lucky to have been recognised in this way.”

Lt Chabo was one of dozens of people coming up with solutions to the myriad of problems created by the coronavirus pandemic to have been recognised in the New Year Honours list.

Richard Saunders, from Manningrree was also honoured in the list.

Mr Saunders, an inspiring disabled sportsman, has been awarded a British Empire Medal for services to disability golf.

Involved in sport his entire life, Mr Saunders took up golf in 2002 and ran the British Amputee and Les Autres Sports Association for many years.