Posted on: Thursday 19 February 2026
A youth worker who has dedicated his life to creating opportunities for children and young people to play has received an Award of the British Empire Medal (BEM) from King Charles III.
Julian Davenne, Play Service Manager at Torfaen Council, was officially presented with the BEM by the Lord Lieutenant of Gwent, Brigadier Robert Aitken CBE – the King’s Representative in Gwent, during a special ceremony held at Blenheim Road Community Primary School on Wednesday.
The presentation took place during a busy half‑term play session run by the council’s Play Service, with children, family and colleagues from the play service gathering to celebrate and congratulate Julian on the prestigious honour.
Julian, who began working as a volunteer has dedicated more than three decades to supporting children and young people in Torfaen, said:
“It’s an absolute privilege to receive this honour. I have enjoyed the last 30 years working with and supporting children and young people in developing opportunities to enrich their lives.
“This award is not just about me, it is about the team and people around me, especially all the volunteers who give up their time to support the children in Torfaen over the years.”
Brigadier Aitken said: “I have had the pleasure to visit Julian at his playschemes, and we cannot fail to be touched by his enthusiasm, by his passion, by his love in everything that he brings to bear in all his work. I’m so delighted that The King has seen to reward you in this way.”
Julian first took on the Play Coordinator role in 2002, when the council offered only a small number of open‑access summer playschemes and a handful of after‑school clubs.
Since then, the service has expanded significantly and is now regarded as one of the leading play service models in the UK, recently winning two awards at The Children & Young People Now Awards in London.
From his very first summer, Julian set out to transform the service into a wide‑ranging programme of daily activities and to establish a youth volunteering project that would offer young people meaningful, community‑based experience.
He went on to develop the Play and Inclusion model, ensuring children with additional needs, ranging from mild to complex medical conditions, received tailored play support.
Cllr Anthony Hunt, leader of Torfaen Council, said: “Julian has pioneered Torfaen Play Service and with his team he has made it a beacon of inclusivity, making a huge difference to children and young people in term time and school holidays.
"His can-do attitude shapes his approach to including children with additional needs and disabilities, and I am always bowled over when I hear from families what it means to them. His belief in volunteering was always ahead of its time, and he has given so much to the children who attend and to the young people who volunteer. We are lucky to have him and his team in Torfaen."
Today, the model supports more than 250 children every week, with over 100 children receiving assistance at weekends.
The service also delivers around 300 hours of play support to schools each week, with more than 100 play‑related projects taking place annually.
The youth volunteering project he founded now attracts more than 200 young people each year, many of whom use the programme as a stepping stone into further education, training and future careers.
Over a twelve month period play volunteers delivered over 32,000 hours of activity and operated 5 days per week throughout the summer holidays, providing food and fun camps to over 2000 children and young people.