MBE for Dave Earle in New Year’s Honours

04/01/2021

Award made in recognition of Dave Earle’s charity work

Former Banbury town councillor Dave Earle has been awarded the MBE in the New Year’s Honours List in recognition of his charity work.

Dave runs the Tribus Group which he set up in 2017 to help people suffering from mental health problems. He was running advice sessions for people with drug and alcohol problems as part of his work with Turning Point, an addiction treatment centre, before deciding to open up the classes to a wider audience – through Tribus.

Dave is also a member of Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust where he advises on mental health issues.

In addition, Dave received the Prime Minister’s Point of Light award in 2019. The award recognises outstanding individual volunteers – people who make a change in their community.

He started his charity work when local schools asked him to help difficult pupils – some with violent tendencies and others with learning and physical problems.

Since then he’s worked with people with addictions, anxieties, social issues such as poverty, a sense of not belonging, homelessness, hunger, low job prospects and spectrum orders such as ADHD.

Dave is an ABA boxing coach and has run the Spit ‘n’ Sawdust gym and amateur boxing club in North Bar, Banbury, since 2007.

He had a successful sporting career before deciding to pass on his skills to others. He was five-times Home Counties boxing champion and British light heavyweight kickboxing champion.

Dave represented Great Britain in Budapest in the World Full-contact Kickboxing Championships.

He was chosen to run with the Olympic torch for the 2012 London Olympics and was voted the leader/volunteer of the year in the Cherwell District Council ‘Unsung Hero’ sports awards, also in 2012.

In a recent TEDx talk in Banbury, Dave told how a man he hardly knew wanted him to be the beneficiary of his will.

Dave said: “It was because I had a cup of tea and a chat with him when he was thinking of committing suicide – and because of that he was still alive.”

He added “In my gym I have a sign that says you need something to do, someone to love, and something to look forward to.

“I tell that to people who come to see me. And then I work with them so they realise they do.”

Dave represented Neithrop on the town council for four years (2008-2012) as a member of the Conservative Party.


Published: by Banbury FM Newsteam

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