Ruskin Mill Trust is delighted that their founding trustee and Chair, Aonghus Gordon MEd, FRSA, has been awarded an OBE in the New Year Honours List, for his services to heritage and education.

Aonghus is also the founding trustee of Ruskin Mill Land Trust, which has been restoring land and redundant buildings, including Coleg Plas Dwbl in Pembrokeshire and Coleg Ty’r Eithin in Carmarthenshire, transforming them in partnership with Ruskin Mill Trust into educational and cultural centres for special needs education, arts, festivals, and social enterprise.

Coleg Plas Dwbl has been offering craft and land-based skills – as well as work experience in the locality and with the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park – to young adults with learning difficulties, associated behavioural issues and disabilities since 2012.

For decades, Aonghus has been a pioneer in the provision of high-quality and fulfilling educational environments for people with disabilities, inspired by the teachings of Rudolf Steiner, John Ruskin and William Morris and driven by Aonghus’ vision to afford all people the opportunity and skills to shape their own future.

Founded in 1981, Ruskin Mill Trust is now one of the UK’s leading educational charities working with people with learning disabilities, with twelve centres across England, Wales and Scotland. In the past 20 years it has raised £40m for its work through fundraising and donations.

As well as being a Trustee and Board Member of numerous charities, Aonghus was awarded Social Entrepreneur of the Year for the south of England by Ernst and Young in 2005.

He has also nurtured many international partnerships, including the development of a Master’s degree in collaboration with Lillehammer Inland University, Norway.

Aonghus said: “I am very grateful for this recognition of the Trust’s exceptional work over the past thirty years.

“Our team at Ruskin Mill has worked tirelessly through the most challenging of circumstances, and their dedication to the young people in our care and each other has been unparalleled. They go above and beyond every single day to support our communities, and I could not be prouder of them.”

“I hope that this honour will lead to a greater awareness of Ruskin Mill’s innovative method, Practical Skills Therapeutic Education, and the positive impact it has been shown to have on many of those with learning disabilities who have attended one of our twelve Centres.”