A RETIRED museum curator from Whitchurch has been honoured at the Windsor Castle as she received an MBE award for her services to the cultural heritage in Hampshire.

Whitchurch Silk Mill chair Christine Beresford received the award from Prince Charles on behalf of The Queen.

Christine has worked tirelessly with the county’s museums to help them raise standards of conservation, presentation, management and governance over the past 20 years.

She has been a trustee of Whitchurch Silk Mill since 2013.

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“Being awarded the MBE is a great honour and I was deeply touched to receive it,” Christine said.

“Whitchurch Silk Mill is a wonderful place, one of Hampshire’s treasures and unique in England. I’d like to dedicate this honour to the wonderful team who worked so hard over the last few years to ensure that the Silk Mill survives and continues to delight future generations of visitors and Whitchurch residents.”

Christine became the silk mill trustee when the 200-year old textile watermill needed renovation, but didn’t have the funds for repairs and improvements.

She joined an enthusiastic team of staff and volunteers to launch a major refurbishment project and helped to raise over £2million from a wide range of charitable and private donors, including the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

She became the chair of the Silk Mill in 2017.

Christine was instrumental in turning Silk Mill, which was once described as Hampshire’s best-kept secret, into a vibrant attraction preserving the craft of silk weaving, an industry that has existed in Whitchurch for two centuries.

Christine is also a trustee of HorsePower, the museum of The King’s Royal Hussars, the cavalry regiment that famously took part in the Charge of the Light Brigade and introduced the game of polo to England.

The role led her to become the chair of Winchester’s Military Museums, a partnership of six museums based in the historic Peninsula Barracks in Winchester.

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During her term of office, they collaborated on several projects to raise their profile and attract more visitors, including exhibitions to mark the 200th anniversary of Jane Austen’s death and the centenary of the end of the First World War.

In September this year, Christine’s tenure as a trustee ends and she will be standing down as the chair of the board of the Silk Mill.

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