Village’s top honour for Scout leader Karen
THE Group Scout Leader for Boughton Monchelsea Scouts has been voted the village’s Parishioner of the Year.
Karen Filmer was born and brought up in the village, and apart from a couple of years living in Lordswood, has resided in Boughton Monchelsea her whole life. She currently lives in her parents’ old home in Haste Hill Road.
Mrs Filmer had been the Cub Leader for many years but stepped up to become Group Scout Leader five years ago.
A former pupil at the Maidstone Technical High School for Girls (now Invicta), she has been a Sunday school teacher and sung in the choir at St Peter’s Church and was a parish councillor for four years.
She also organises regular litter-picks through the village and runs the annual “Tour de Franc” – a comic fund-raising bicycle ride.
Nominations for Parishioner of the Year are made by villagers and the winner is selected by the parish council, who unanimously chose Mrs Filmer at their meeting last week.
She was presented with a historic photograph showing Boughton Green in 1910, in an engraved silver frame.
Mrs Filmer, 54, who is looking forward to the birth of her sixth grandchild this weekend, said: “I’m absolutely delighted. Obviously I could not do what I do without the support of family and friends, and I’m very grateful to them.”