Two British nationals living in Lanka in Queen’s honours list

Mark Gooding and Catherine Mole, two British Nationals living in Sri Lanka, have been honoured by The Queen in her Birthday Honours List.

Mark Gooding, British Deputy High Commissioner to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, has been awarded an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) for his services to Foreign Affairs.

Mark Gooding has served in Sri Lanka since 2008, contributing with dedication and professionalism to the full range of the High Commission’s work, including consular, economic, political and commercial affairs. He has made a significant difference to the British High Commission’s operations, delivering high quality services and promoting diversity.

Mr Gooding’s next diplomatic post will be as the British Ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia.  His previous roles with the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office have included Private Secretary to the Foreign Secretary covering Europe and Asia, Head of the EU Budget team, and Consul at the British Consulate-General in Shanghai.

Catherine Mole, the founder of the disability charity ECSAT (Equality-based Community Support And Training) based in Galle, has been awarded an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) for her contribution towards the inclusion of the disabled into society.

Catherine Mole has had a long and lasting relationship with Sri Lanka, starting from 1995 when she spent a year in the country volunteering with the Prithipura Homes for the Disabled. Through her university years and later, during her stint with VSO in Vietnam, she continued to visit Sri Lanka and work with Prithipura, setting up a successful small enterprise for its residents and running an organisational development process. She eventually returned to Sri Lanka in 2003 with the aim of settling in the country and working to improve the lives of disabled children.

After the tsunami in 2004, Ms Mole established ECSAT, an organisation focused on rebuilding in the aftermath of the tsunami – but rebuilding with the inclusion of children and adults with disabilities in the community. Today, ECSAT are a strong and effective team who are dedicated to fighting for the rights of disabled children and their families and building the capacity and knowledge of disabled people and their families to fight for themselves. Ms Mole continues to be active on the Board of ECSAT and as a fundraiser and strategist for the organisation.

ECSAT has worked with hundreds of children and young people with disabilities bringing them out of their homes to mix with their peers; helping them to access education; providing their family members with knowledge and support; giving them opportunities to learn life skills and vocational skills that other people take for granted. ECSAT has also provided training in sign language, not only to deaf children but also to their families and community members so they can communicate with people around them. In 2010, they organised the ‘Wheels of Fortune’ event in Colombo to raise awareness of accessibility issues in Sri Lanka.