Four awardees receive Anguilla Badge of Honour for transformative social impact

Four deserving recipients have been awarded the Anguilla Badge of Honour and the King’s Certificate in recognition of their sustained contributions to social development.

This prestigious awards were presented during the official ceremony for Anguilla Day on 1 June at the Ronald Webster Park in The Valley.

Alexis S Ryan, is a distinguished Anguillian cultural ambassador whose work spans fashion design, pageantry and spoken word performance.

Morleen Lewis-Brooks

Morleen Lewis-Brooks of South Hill, born on 13 April 1955, dedicated her life to public service, aviation, meteorology, business, faith and community development.

After initially considering teaching, she joined the Public Works Department as a clerk typist, beginning a distinguished government career spanning several departments and responsibilities.

In 1978, she was selected for specialist air traffic control training in Trinidad and Tobago, overcoming financial challenges and graduating at the top of her class.

Returning home, she became Anguilla’s first female air traffic controller, breaking barriers while demonstrating professionalism, competence and composure in demanding operational environments.

She played a crucial role in the safe landing of Crown Air’s inaugural nighttime flight, despite the airport runway lacking permanent lighting facilities.

In 1983, her quick judgement prevented potential disaster when she warned a Pan Am Boeing 747 that had mistakenly approached Anguilla instead of St Maarten.

Recognising aviation’s dependence on weather monitoring, she pursued meteorological training and became Anguilla’s first fully qualified meteorological observer and office founder.

Alongside public service, she has operated a successful business for more than two decades, contributing to economic activity and development within her community.

Lewis-Brooks has also provided decades of spiritual leadership, overseeing church expansion projects, strengthening youth ministries and helping to establish Prophecy Preschool in 1999.

Through pioneering achievements, mentorship, business leadership, and faithful service, she has strengthened Anguilla’s institutions.

Alexis Steadworth Ryan

Born in St Kitts and raised in Anguilla, Alexis S Ryan is a cultural ambassador, creative visionary and artistic figure whose work spans fashion, performance, mentorship and cultural development.

He is founder of TheoChris Designs, established in 2005, which demonstrates innovation and excellence in fashion through contemporary Caribbean inspired collections and consistent creative industry leadership.

His work has been showcased through three major runway productions and more than 30 design exhibitions across the Caribbean and regional creative fashion platforms and events industry.

Beyond fashion, he has contributed significantly to pageantry development for over two decades supporting contestant preparation and professional presentation standards across several platforms.

Ryan has served as chaperone since 2005 providing guidance in speech talent costume design swimwear and evening wear often producing garments himself for contestants across competitions regionally.

In addition, he has been a sought after judge across prestigious regional pageants in Antigua, St Kitts and Anguilla assessing multiple performance categories standards.

He is also an accomplished spoken word artist receiving numerous awards and recognition for performances characterised by emotional depth, cultural expression and storytelling excellence.

Ryan has achieved consistent success in the Malliouhana Poetry Competition securing first place in 2015, 2018 and 2019 and third place in the 2025 performance category.

He represented Anguilla at Carifesta in 2008, 2015 and 2025, performing original spoken word and showcasing fashion collections including Pockets Full of Sunshine.

Through his work he continues to promote Anguillian culture, mentor emerging talent and strengthen creative industries while making a lasting impact on national cultural identity development growth.

Cheddie Richardson

Cheddie Richardson, born and raised in West End, Anguilla, developed a fascination for creating objects from natural materials at an early age.

By age nine he was crafting small boats from matchsticks, demonstrating innate artistic ability that would later define his life’s work in sculpture and creative expression.

As he matured, he explored creative expression and in 1978 discovered driftwood sculpture without formal training, developing his own techniques and artistic voice from found materials.

In 1992 he established Cheddie’s Carving Studio, which he built himself in the style of a traditional West Indian villa, becoming a cultural landmark thereafter.

Over more than 40 years he has become one of the island’s most celebrated artists and cultural ambassadors, known for wood carving mastery and artistic innovation globally.

His driftwood and hardwood sculptures, inspired by Anguilla’s natural environment, have been exhibited throughout the Caribbean and featured in international media and cultural exhibitions globally.

The National Council of Anguilla entrusted him with sculpting Anguilla’s revolutionary leader James Ronald Webster in mahogany wood, which is now housed in the Anguilla Post Office

Richardson’s studio has become a cultural attraction, inspiring residents and visitors alike while contributing to the island’s creative economy and tourism sector over many decades now.

His work achieved historic recognition in 1996 when a sculpture was presented to Queen Elizabeth II during her visit to Anguilla and entered Royal Collection records.

Beyond his artwork, he has inspired generations of young Anguillians, offering opportunities for emerging artists to showcase their creative talents early through exhibitions in his studio.

Timothy Richardson

Timothy Richardson, affectionately known as ‘Coach Tim’, has dedicated more than 42 years to cycling, beginning his sporting journey at the age of 17.

During his early career he represented St Maarten with distinction, competing against some of the Caribbean’s strongest cyclists and earning respect for determination, endurance and natural talent.

In 2000 he relocated to Anguilla, where he established himself as one of the island’s leading cyclists despite often training independently under challenging and limited conditions.

Alongside personal competition he focused on developing local cycling, mentoring young men and introducing them to the sport, helping to lay foundations for organised cycling in Anguilla.

He guided numerous young athletes on and off the bike, including cyclists such as Hasani Hennis and Zambezi Richardson, who achieved regional success under his mentorship and coaching.

Following his retirement from competitive cycling in 2017, he transitioned fully into coaching, becoming head coach for clubs including Double Trouble and Wheels on Fire Cycling Club.

He now dedicates extensive time weekly to training cyclists of all ages, often riding alongside them while developing discipline, teamwork, confidence and resilience through structured coaching.

He currently trains more than 30 young men and two females aged between six and 56, helping to steer young people away from negative influences through sport.

His expertise is widely respected, and he has represented Anguilla internationally as head coach, contributing to the island’s presence in regional and global cycling competitions.

Coach Tim remains a central figure in Anguilla cycling, highly respected across the Caribbean for his lifelong commitment to athlete development, coaching excellence and sporting leadership.

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