Eastbourne man dedicates his OBE from the Queen ‘to our wonderful town’

Josh Babarinde is the Founder of Cracked It, an award-winning technology business that has supported over 200 ex-offenders away from crime and towards employment.

His work has won the backing of the US Embassy and River Island, and has been featured in the BBC and Forbes Magazine.

Born and bred in Eastbourne, Josh receives his OBE ‘for Services to Criminal Justice, Social Enterprise and the Economy’.

During the coronavirus lockdown, Josh and his firm launched a scheme to provide free video phones to Eastbourne’s care home residents so they could stay connected with their families and see their GPs online.

A former Cavendish School head boy, Josh also led the local Lib Dems’ award-winning #EBtogether campaign to telephone over 5,000 elderly residents across the town during the lockdown and connect those in need with local support.

Josh said: “I‘m so honoured and humbled to receive this OBE from The Queen and I’d love to dedicate it to our wonderful town.

“Without the opportunities and inspiration that Eastbourne and so many people in our community have given me along the way, I wouldn’t have been able to achieve a fraction of what Her Majesty has honoured me for today.

“I’m proud to have poured my heart into serving others in our town and beyond, and I’m nowhere near done yet.

“My focus has always been to roll up my sleeves to achieve the absolute best for my community and it always will be.”