A man from Exmouth has been awarded a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the New Years Honours List.

Nick Millington, from Exmouth works for Network Rail South West has been recognised for services to the Railway and to the NHS during Covid-19.

Nick Millington MBE said: "I feel truly privileged to be recognised by His Majesty the King in the New Year's Honours list. I would especially like to thank the teams who have worked alongside me, whether that be in a voluntary or professional capacity because without such great people, many of these achievements would not have been possible.  Helping others in need has always been a huge honour for me, especially during times of crisis and it gives me great satisfaction to know that I’ve made a real difference to improving the lives of others”.

Nick volunteered to help the NHS and the British Army build the NHS Nightingale Hospital at the start of the pandemic in March 2020.

He then went on to coordinate an army of volunteers that worked day and night to transform a former DIY store in Exeter into the regions’ new Nightingale Hospital and then later setting up a new large-scale vaccination centre at Westpoint Exeter.

He has undertaken various volunteer roles with the Permanent Way Institution (PWI), including serving as president for 12 months, and has championed diversity and equality, whilst actively coaching and supporting the next generation of chartered engineers.

He also been instrumental in leading the Network Rail ‘Safety Task Force’, focused on improving the safety of all track workers,  which has resulted in a 99 per cent reduction in the highest risk work types over three years. This has led to a 70 per cent reduction in ‘near misses’ between track workers and trains and ‘potential fatalities’.

Nick also serves as a Run Director at the Exmouth ParkRun and has completed more than 100 ParkRun events himself. He is an active Mental Health Champion and has been instrumental in generating fundraising ideas, including running the London Marathon, and raising more than £250,000 for Network Rail’s nominated charity partner, CLIC Sargent, with his team.

Andrew Haines, Network Rail chief executive, said: “I’d like to give a massive congratulations to Nick for this well-deserved recognition of their outstanding efforts. 

“It’s wonderful to see colleagues lending their time, expertise and determination to good causes and making a meaningful difference to the communities we serve across the country. We are all proud to call them our colleagues and I am delighted they’ve been honoured.”