David BranchAn NHS nurse was “amazed” to be invited to King Charles’s coronation.
Daniel Branch, 37, received the news in an email and said it “took a while to sink in” that he was going to Westminster Abbey for the occasion.
The Wirral community learning disability nurse received a British Empire Medal in 2021 for his work during the pandemic and also volunteers for the Samaritans.
He joked it was like being invited “to the moon”.
“Never in a million years would I have thought I would even be considered for that,” Mr Branch said.
“It felt like somebody saying ‘do you fancy going to the moon next week?’.
Mr Branch works for the Lancashire and Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust and supports people with learning disabilities who often also have mental health issues.
In his spare time, he does various outreach work with his church and volunteers for the Samaritans near his home in Meols.
This saw him awarded a BEM for his work during the pandemic, which he was presented with at Liverpool Town Hall in November 2021.
Asked what motivates him to help others, he said needing extra support in his primary school years because of his dyspraxia and dyslexia and the volunteering his family did in their community put him on the path.
“I also get a lot out of doing it,” he explained.”I was very lucky to have support through difficult times. When I was seven because I had dyspraxia and dyslexia and at the time I couldn’t read. “I got a lot of help with that and my family set the example of helping others.”
Mr Branch has worked in his current role since graduating from the University of Chester in 2017.
Before that, he worked in the legal profession for several years, including for the Citizens Advice Bureau.
