Gordon Thorpe DipMS: Director

I am a retired Civil Servant and Royal Air Force Engineering Officer. I served 37 years in the RAF, starting as a Radar Technician and ending as a Squadron Leader Engineering Officer specialising in Communications and Electronics in 1996. I served at both home and overseas units including the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (as a Communications Operations Staff Officer) and ended my career as the Support Authority for Air Traffic Systems and Ground to Air Communications with an annual budget of some £20 Million to spend on repairs and maintenance of equipment that ranged from Radars to Instrument Landing Systems and down to management radios for 35 military airfields world wide. I was also successful in bidding for capital of some £200 million for replacement equipment. During my service career, I gained the Diploma in Management Studies and achieved membership of the Institute of Logistics and Transport, the Institute of Incorporated Engineers and the Chartered Institute of Managers.

Gordon

As a Civil Servant I continued in the same vein for another 10 years being the Communications Staff Officer for the Nuclear Accident Response Organisation and Resource Manager for the Airfield Operation Systems Integrated Project Team, being responsible for the formation and implementation of Key Performance Indicators to keep the IPT on track and within the financial budget. Throughout my working life, I have always held a keen interest in formal and informal mentoring, believing in the development of those working with and for me. Further, my service career encouraged the concept of community involvement, helping to run clubs and activities for young people.

I moved to St. Neots in 1996 on my retirement from the RAF and became involved in local politics some four years later. I became the Hunts District Councillor for Eaton Socon in 2004 and a Town Councillor in 2007, serving as Mayor from 2009 to 2011. During my 2 year term as Mayor, I was delighted to be able to raise some £14,000 for charity and to inaugurate the Community Coffee mornings where volunteers from the community could meet and exchange ideas. This turned out to be a great success with volunteer groups able to give a short presentation to the attendees and it saw the launch of the Community Café concept. I am also a Trustee and Secretary of the Jubilee Hall at Eaton Socon.

I met Christine Stocker Gibson early in my Mayorship and become interested in her plans for the Community Café as it became and am one of her earliest "Listeners". Recently, I was honoured to accept her invitation to become a Director of Enterprise Pathways, the community interest company that oversees the Community Café Project.

Following a serious road traffic accident in 1992, I became interested in meditation techniques and self development, eventually becoming a Reiki II practitioner. Reiki is a Japanese healing energy system of complementary medicine that was introduced by a Buddhist Dr. Mikao Usui in the 1920’s and was brought to the West by Mrs Hawayo Takata who practised mainly in Hawaii. The word Reiki is actually two words rei and ki which translate as Spiritual or Sacred and Ki – energy. Latterly, they have been referred to as Universal Energy. Reiki differs from "Faith Healing" in that it is not necessary for the recipient to believe in any religion. The energy is there to be channelled to the recipient by the practitioner. To become a Reiki practitioner, involves study and attunement (or connection/awareness) to the energy by a Reiki Master. Reiki energy operates on three levels namely; the physical, spiritual and mental. It is a non-invasive, non-manipulative exercise relying on the placing of the practitioner’s hands on various parts of the recipients’ body although some practitioners "hover" their hands just above the body.. A typical Reiki session may last some 30 to 45 minutes but this is flexible depending on need. A recipient of Reiki may feel heat, cold or a tingling sensation from the practitioner’s hands although some feel nothing.

Gordon was awarded the Eynesbury Village Association Community Champion Award for 2011 at their Christmas Fayre. The award is for Gordon’s dedication and achievements in promoting charities and community involvement over the past two years. "I am both delighted and humbled to be given this Award" said Gordon, "it means much to me as it is given by the community and I will always treasure it. This Award encourages me to continue with my work for the young people of St. Neots."