Jean’s energy praised by national award

Updated: 21 May 2025

Jean Logan, a member of Nene and Welland Oddfellows, has been revealed as the winner of 2025’s Making a Difference Award for Enriching Lives Socially. Well done, Jean!

She was selected for her dedication to making sure her fellow members have a varied and enjoyable range of events to enjoy.

Jean was recognised at a ceremony at the Society’s national Annual Movable Conference in Scarborough on Tuesday 20 May, though she was unable to attend to collect her trophy.

Jean Logan with her Making a Difference Award certificate

Infectious energy

Jean, a retired Accountant and Tax Advisor from Bourne, Lincolnshire, has only been a member for two years, but has quickly established herself as a valuable and reliable part of her Branch.

Through her role on the Social Committee, Jean has been key to coming up with new ideas for, organising, and hosting events and – importantly – making sure everyone has a good time.

“I’m an organiser,” she said. “I always organise things. I’m always in the catering. I’m always in the kitchen.

“I’m always larking about. They say any events they run when I’m not there are very quiet. I like to enjoy myself. I’m terrible at bingo. I have been told off for being too noisy!

“I don’t take things seriously. Life’s too short. You don’t know what’s going to happen the next day. Just go out and enjoy yourself.

“They always say to me, ‘we wish we had your energy’, and I say, ‘well I’m not giving it to anybody, sorry it’s mine!’”

Some recent events Jean has taken the lead with arranging include hobby horse racing, a theatre trip, and going to the pantomime.

Fun-loving

Jean enjoying a recent Easter Bingo event with friends at Nene and Welland Oddfellows

Aside from the Oddfellows, Jean’s “first love” is dancing. She attend classes six times a week.

She said: “We’ll have events and I’ll say, ‘I can’t do that, I’m dancing’, we might move it to accommodate me but there’s only so many times we can move events. But they’ll say, ‘if Jean’s dancing we’ll try another day’.

As fun-loving as Jean is, there’s a serious motivation behind her disposition. She explained: “Socialising keeps your brain busy and keeps you active and keeps you younger.

“You can sit indoors, you can sit on the sofa and watch telly all day long but that’s not me. I’m a doer. I’m always up and about.

“Lockdown, I think, knocked a lot of it out of people and they then retreated within themselves and it does take time to get back out of that shell, but I’m not like that. I’m jolly most of the time. If I want to be down I’ll be down in my own house. I don’t take it with me.”

(L to R) Chris Sargeant, Barry Bedford and Jean Logan, three Making a Difference Award winners from Nene and Welland Oddfellows

Natural organiser

On discovering that she’d won the award, Jean said: “I did read the letter a couple of times and I’m thinking, ‘no it can’t be me because I haven’t been here that long’. I’m just me. I’m not anyone else I’m just me.

“It was a nice surprise. It was the fact that I was the overall winner. You’ve got so many branches all over the country and I end up as the overall winner. That was lovely and I’d like to thank the Branch for whatever they wrote about me because it was obviously that which put me forward.”

Branch Secretary at Nene and Welland Oddfellows, Karen Earth, said: “Jean has only been an Oddfellows member for two years, but has made her mark within the Branch. Everyone who comes to a regular event knows who she is.

“She assists both with organising events and ensuring that they run smoothly. Whenever a prospective member attends an event they are sure of a warm welcome where Jean is involved.

“She is always coming up with new ideas for events and knows how to make things interesting. She helps prepare food for events, regularly gives other members lifts and checks in on members who are ill.

“Without Jean many of the 2024 events would not have occurred, or would not have been as well organised and run. She’s a truly deserving winner of the Enriching Lives Socially Award.”

Who makes a difference in your Branch?

If you know somebody in your Branch who has gone above and beyond to help and support members of the Oddfellows, why not nominate them for a 2026 Making a Difference Award?

Any member can nominate another member. You can learn more about the different categories in the Making a Difference Awards section of our website.

If you're interested in joining an Oddfellows friendship group, contact us and we can send you a free information pack and local events diary.