New Year’s Honours: Romford doctor and magistrate gets MBE

A doctor and magistrate who moved to Romford from India in the early 1970s has been awarded an MBE for her services in the local community.

Dr Madhu Pathak was the longest serving JP at Barking Court, having sat from 1976 until the building closed its doors in 2011. She now continues the role at other local courts.

Dr Pathak has been the secretary of the Barking & Havering Local Medical Committee since the mid-1990s.

In the 1970s she worked in different roles at Rush Green, Oldchurch and Barking hospitals before becoming a GP. She has been active in local Rotary clubs and sat on the police consultative committee for Havering.

She told the Recorder: “My jobs have been very rewarding and since I moved to Romford it has been a very happy time for me.

“We’ve always been supported by the local community. I’m very pleased to know that I’ve been rewarded and I want to thank my family for their support.”