CAPTION: Katie with Sisters of the Church visiting the UK in 2025
Melanesian Mission UK Executive Director Awarded British Empire Medal in New Year Honours
The Executive Director of the Melanesian Mission UK, Katherine (Katie) Drew, has been awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) in the 2026 New Year Honours List for services to UK/Solomon Islands relations.
The Melanesian Mission is an Anglican mission agency that provides support to the Anglican Church of Melanesia (ACoM) through prayer, people and giving. ACoM covers the Solomon Islands, New Caledonia and Vanuatu and works through parishes, church schools, the Mothers’ Union and the four Anglican Religious orders in the region – the Melanesian Brothers, the Community of the Sisters of Melanesia, the Community of the Sisters of the Church, and the Society of Saint Francis. Exeter Diocese has a long association with the people of Melanesia, stretching back to their first bishop – John Coleridge Patteson, who came from Feniton and was curate at Alfington, in East Devon.
Katie’s connection with Solomon Islands began in 2011 when she and her husband Ian, volunteered for three months through MMUK. Ian supported IT work for the Anglican Church of Melanesia, while Katie assisted the Mothers’ Union, a women’s group, with administration. Their daughters, then aged 7 and 9, attended a local school twinned with their school in Devon.
Katie explains: “Living in Feniton at the time, we were familiar with the stories of a young man from our village who travelled in the 1850’s over 10,000 miles away to Melanesia as a missionary, John Coleridge Patteson. We were inspired by his humility and his deep respect for the Melanesian people. Volunteering overseas felt like a meaningful way to give back and to show our daughters a different way of life. Our time in Solomon Islands brought us closer together as a family and taught us to value what really matters—strong family bonds, community, while also appreciating what we might take for granted in the UK. It made us less materialistic and gave us a new perspective on what it means to live well. Solomon Islands truly stole our hearts.”
That experience was life-changing, giving the family a profound appreciation of a different culture and its values. Inspired by this, Katie joined MMUK the following year. Now in her 14th year, she continues to strengthen ties between the UK and Melanesia, delivering talks, managing projects, organising exchange visits, fostering school partnerships, and championing issues such as climate change, gender-based violence, and access to education.
Katie adds, “It is a privilege to meet Melanesians, listen to their stories of faith, contentment, and bravery, and then share those stories here in the UK, in schools, churches, and with our supporters. These voices remind us of resilience, hope, and the power of community. Even after eight visits, I always learn something new when I travel to Melanesia because of its incredible diversity, rich cultures, multiple languages, unique ways of living, and untouched rainforests. It’s a place few people ever get to experience, and every journey deepens my understanding and appreciation.”
Katie reflects, “Receiving this award is a great honour. My work is only possible thanks to the support of MMUK Trustees, our donors, and my family. It is a privilege to serve this charity and I am humbled to work alongside the generous, strong, and deeply spiritual people of Solomon Islands and Melanesia. In today’s world, it is more important than ever to look outward, to learn from others, to understand different ways of living, and to recognise how our choices affect communities across the globe. Ultimately, we share one home, and we are all responsible for its care and for one another.”
