Dr Carl Clowes, Non-Executive Director at Public Health Wales, has become the first GP to receive an Honorary Fellowship to the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) in recognition of his outstanding contribution to health in Wales and overseas.
Carl was awarded the honour following a career of more than 45 years, during which he has worked tirelessly to improve health outcomes for local communities across Wales and in remote areas of Africa.
‘Carl is a highly valued member of the Public Health Wales board of directors and we are extremely proud of his latest achievement,’ said Mansel Aylward, Chairman of Public Health Wales.
Since beginning his career as a GP in the Llŷn Peninsula in 1970, Carl has been heavily involved in developing strong links between health, the community and the voluntary sector. This included the establishment of the first ‘community cooperative’ in the UK, Antur Aelhaearn.
Carl received an OBE for his services to the community in 2011.
Further afield, Carl’s interest in social medicine led him to develop Dolen Cymru, a Wales-Lesotho link, the first country-to-country twinning in the world. This relationship has seen the exchange of many thousands of Basotho and Welsh people and development based on a true understanding between the two countries. He remains the Honorary Consul for Lesotho in Wales.
‘It is a great honour to be recognised in this way by the RCGP,’ Carl said. ‘My personal passion has always been empowering communities, which, in turn, empowers people. With empowerment comes confidence and a reduced reliance on a lifestyle likely to be damaging to health.’
