Jenny Elbertsen (aged 52), Maaike Moulijn (aged 49) and Chris Schouten (aged 67) received a royal honour from Mayor Ton Heerts on 31 March 2026. They have been appointed Members of the Order of Orange-Nassau. They received the honour upon their departure from the Apeldoorn Municipal Council, in recognition of their long-standing service as lay members and councillors.
Jenny served as a lay member (2011–2014) and councillor (2014–2026) in Apeldoorn. From 2018 to 2022, she was also group leader and deputy chair of the council. In May 2018, in her capacity as coalition negotiator, she presented the then-current coalition agreement, *The Strength of Apeldoorn*. Over the years, she made a decisive contribution from within the council to providing structural support for residents’ initiatives. In addition, she has championed causes including recreational zoning (striking a balance between recreation and nature) and nature conservation. Most recently, she tabled a motion calling for the installation of wolf-proof fences to be made easier, a measure which has since been formalised.
Maaike was a lay member (2010–2018) and a councillor (2014 and 2018–2026) in Apeldoorn. From 2018, she also served as party group leader. In addition, she was a member of the Gelderland Provincial Council (2015–2019). On the council, she was involved in issues such as animal welfare, sustainability and biodiversity. She actively contributed to the evaluation of the Animal Welfare Policy Document, spearheaded the debate on the meat industry and was a co-author of the manifesto ‘We Stand Up for the Veluwe’, aimed at preserving and restoring biodiversity. Outside of politics, she is also committed to animal welfare, as a co-initiator of ‘VegaVrijdag’ and the ‘Planty of Food Festival’.
Chris was a councillor (1990–1996) in Naaldwijk and a non-party member (2018–2021) and councillor (2014–2018 and 2021–2026) in Apeldoorn. In both towns, he also served as party group leader (in Apeldoorn from 2021 onwards). During his time on the Apeldoorn council, as chair of the Social Domain working group, he played a key role in overseeing the transition within the social domain. Through a motion, he helped to increase the number of public toilets in the city centre, with people suffering from bowel and bladder problems in mind. In addition, he advocated for better healthcare, such as tackling health inequalities between population groups and supporting informal carers.
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