The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee will be forever remembered by a South Holland man who has been awarded the MBE.
The list of her Birthday Honours was revealed yesterday and in this special year, Eric Fragale will receive his MBE for services to education.
Mr Fragale, of Cowbit, discovered three weeks ago that he was to receive an MBE and has managed to keep it quiet ever since.
“I was shocked really. Honestly, I just didn’t realise and didn’t tell a soul.
“I’m not really sure what happens next, but it’s amazing,” he said.
Mr Fragale (60) joined the governors of Spalding High School in 2005 when his daughter became a pupil.
“When your children are at a school, you get involved, but I didn’t leave when she did. Every child matters, whatever school and wherever you live,” he said.
Eric (pictured) is currently the vice chair of the governors and during his time with the school, he has seen the introduction of an anti-bullying initiative, the installation of a wind turbine along with extensions to the staff room and school library.
“The staff, governors and children are wonderful and work hard to make the school successful,” he said.
Eric’s daughter Domenique appeared in HBO TV show The Nevers, screened on Sky Atlantic. She was also a runner-up in the Miss England competition in 2019 and used the chance to fundraise for leukaemia charities as her dad had battled with the disease.
Eric’s late father Mario, of Pinchbeck, was well-known in the area as he opened an ice cream shop in Spalding, Domenics. He had followed his sister to the UK and started a new life initially working on the land in 1953. Mario died aged 85 in 2020.
