CRP founder, volunteers receive recognition in King Charles III’s birthday honours list

The Founder of the Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed (CRP) in Bangladesh, Valerie Taylor along with two long-time volunteers, Janet Irene Varney and Roger Michael Varney, have received recognition in the recent The King’s Birthday Honours list for their outstanding contribution to supporting disadvantaged and disabled people in Bangladesh and the UK.

Valerie Taylor OBE has been awarded the Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), while Janet Irene Varney and Roger Michael Varney have each been awarded the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE), said the British High Commission in Dhaka on Monday.

A UK-trained physiotherapist, Taylor arrived in Bangladesh in 1969 working for the Voluntary Service Overseas, where she began her work at a small mission hospital in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT).

After three years of working in CHT, she joined Shaheed Suhrawardy Hospital in Dhaka. In 1979, Taylor and her colleagues established CRP with four patients in an abandoned warehouse of the Shaheed Suhrawardy Hospital.

Today, CRP has grown into a 100-bed hospital in Savar with 12 centres in different parts of the country and is widely regarded as Bangladesh’s leading institution for the rehabilitation of people with disabilities.

British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Sarah Cooke said, “I am delighted that Taylor, Varney and Varney have been honoured with these prestigious awards. Their tireless dedication and compassion have transformed countless lives and exemplify the spirit and solidarity between the UK and Bangladesh.”

Valerie Taylor OBE said receiving such an award is a perfect opportunity for me to thank and congratulate the staff of the Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed (CRP) for their commitment to the work of complete rehabilitation for our patients over the last 46 years.