King Charles III has awarded the title of Member of the Order of the British Empire to Gillian Clasby and Sadie Clasby-Jarrous for their significant contribution to humanitarian support for refugee children in Bulgaria.

The two women founded the Play School in the refugee camp in Harmanli in 2014 and have been running it since then. In the largest refugee camp in Bulgaria, volunteers work without external financial assistance. Gillian and Sadie have degrees in preschool and elementary school pedagogy. The school in Harmanli offers children between 4 and 14 years of age a variety of activities and lessons, through which they develop skills and knowledge in mathematics, science, art and English.

The children also have opportunities for personal, social and emotional development. All students there have experienced some kind of trauma, therefore therapeutic game is an important element of the educational activities, the British Embassy in Sofia has reported.