It was with tears of joy that Angela Morado, British Pro Consul at the British Vice Consulate in Portimão, received her Honorary MBE this week in recognition of her “significant contribution to relations between the United Kingdom and Portugal”.
The ceremony was held on Tuesday (August 29) at the Tivoli Marina Hotel.
The distinction was awarded by Her Majesty The Queen and presented to Morado by British Ambassador to Portugal Kirsty Hayes.
“I’m so honoured. I’m completely over the moon,” Morado told a crowd of friends, family and other British dignitaries including the British Vice Consul in Portimão, Clive Jewell, the president of foreign residents’ association afpop, Michael Reeve, and the president of Safe Communities Portugal, David Thomas.
After nearly 30 years of working at the consulate, Morado said she is still surprised that she gets paid to “help people that really need help”.
“The FCO is a great organisation to work for, and my colleagues are always there to support me,” the 49-year-old said, adding: “I couldn’t see myself doing anything else.”
Ambassador Kirsty Hayes had some words of praise for Morado, who is also known in the Algarve for her work and dedication as an animal rescue volunteer. Hayes described her as a “person that is as wonderful on the inside as she is on the outside”.
“Angie has handled many important consular cases, always treating each person as an individual,” she said, adding how often Morado is “praised for her work”.
“She has a seemingly endless supply of empathy, and spends a lot of time helping many animal charities in Portimão,” the Ambassador added.
Angela Morado was born in South Africa but has worked at the British Vice Consulate in Portimão for nearly 30 years.
Photo: Angela Morado (right) pictured with the British Ambassador Kirsty Hayes
