‘I never took time off’: Limerick cancer survivor awarded prestigious royal honour

WHEN Limerick woman Dolores Collins née White opened a beautiful, embossed envelope that arrived on her London doorstep she never imagined what the letter would detail.

Inside was the announcement that the Clareview native had been awarded the British Empire Medal by His Majesty the King, part of the 2025 Honours List.

“I was totally amazed when the letter came through the door and my husband said 'that letter looks interesting. You should open that.'"

“I thought, ‘Oh my God, who’s nominated me for that?’” she recalled. Only after checking with her former boss did the truth emerge: the nomination had been quietly submitted long ago, a recognition of her unwavering dedication to supporting adults with learning disabilities in Croydon, London.

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Dolores explained why her boss nominated her for the prestigious honour saying: “My boss nominated me for the award because of my dedication to supporting the students and never taking time off through all my treatment.”

In 2010, she was diagnosed with primary breast cancer and was treated for it but unfortunately the cancer returned again in 2019. “I never took time off... while I was undergoing all my treatments and that. I've really enjoyed supporting the adults with learning disabilities. I still go out on rambles with them.”

Dolores received the British Empire Medal at a ceremony at the Tower of London on November 21.

Speaking about the experience the Limerick woman said:

“Everybody that we met on the day was really congratulating us all and making us feel very special. The Lord Lieutenant for London presented the awards and made everybody feel very special and thanked us for what we were doing for our communities.”

For Dolores, the medal is less a celebration of her own achievements and more a recognition of the students she has supported. “It's lovely when you hear them saying things like, 'Oh, you know that walk we went from Richmond to Twickenham or whatever I brought my friend on it'.”

“I've really found it very rewarding,” reflected Dolores. “It's a pleasure to go to work every day.. I really loved that job working with adults with learning disabilities.”

Over the past sixteen years, Dolores has become a cornerstone of Croydon Adult Education Service, working first as a tutor and later as manager of the Independent Living Department. The department offers courses that deepen independence—English, maths, cookery, gardening, wellbeing—and Dolores delivered many of them herself. But it was her Tuesday morning rambles that became her pride and joy.

“I take them on a ramble every Tuesday morning at the moment,” said Dolores. “Even though I retired a couple of years ago but I wanted to stay on with the ramble.”

Each week she led groups of adults with learning disabilities across parks, riverside paths, and historic parts of London, introducing them to the city’s palaces, gardens, churches, and hidden corners. Over time, she watched learners grow fitter, happier, and astoundingly confident. Some began repeating the walks independently. “It's lovely when you see them making these strides... introducing them to lots of new experiences and becoming fitter, healthier, more happy learners.”

For Dolores, the honour feels almost surreal. Her journey began far from London, in Clareview, where she grew up and attended the Salesian Convent. Sports shaped her early life and later her training at the National College of Physical Education in Limerick (now UL.) Teaching took her to Kilkenny and Portlaoise before she and her husband moved to London in 1987 after being unable to find employment in Ireland following a year of travelling abroad.

Later this year, Dolores expects an invitation to a garden party in the grounds of Buckingham Palace.