Dr Nick Maurice, former Marlborough GP and one of the founders of Marlborough’s link with Gunjur in The Gambia, has been nominated for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his tireless and hands on work over forty years in promoting development and international partnerships between communities.
The nomination was made by Kebba K Barrow – one of The Gambia’s most senior politicians. He is the Majority Leader in Gambia’s National Assembly. He made Nick Maurice’s nomination to the Nobel Committee “In recognition of his services to the people of Gunjur and the Republic of The Gambia as a result of the Community Link between the Community of Gunjur and Marlborough in the County of Wiltshire, United Kingdom.”
Nick Maurice has told marlborough.news that he feels overwhelmed by the nomination. He has written a letter to his former and present colleagues telling them about the nomination and thanking them for their support with the Marlborough Brandt Group and the other organisations he has set-up and worked with. He told them: “I hope you appreciate that you are included in this tribute paid to me.”
The Nobel Committee has received 234 individual nominations for the 2021 Peace and nominations for 95 organisations. Nick Maurice commented: “There are many other highly reputable organisations and individuals who have been nominated, so I am not holding my breath over being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, but nevertheless feel very overwhelmed and humbled by the nomination.”
Having lived and worked in impoverished communities in Togo, Papua New Guinea, Nepal and Cambodia, Dr Maurice was inspired by German Chancellor Willy Brandt’s report North South – A programme for Survival, to help set-up Marlborough’s link with Gunjur. He has made innumerable visits to Gunjur and he continues through his friendships with Gambians there and in Britain to help people in need.
A former trustee of the Marlborough Brandt Group told marlborough.news: “This is a truly tremendous honour for Nick – it is a fitting tribute to his many, many years of selfless work in so many distant parts of the world. But it is an honour too for Marlborough and the many, many people of Marlborough who have supported his work – and, of course, benefitted from it too as they visited Gunjur and learned about the needs of others.”
After he retired from the Marlborough Brandt Group he set up another organisation – BUILD which works on Building Understanding through International Links for Development. And as he reported in a series of articles for marlborough.news, he worked as a volunteer doctor among refugees in the Calais ‘Jungle’ in May 2016.
Among those nominated for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize are three women working to defend Belarusian democracy, the Black Lives Matter movement, Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, the World Health Organisation, NATO and Reporters Without Borders.
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