Local people recognised in Queen's Birthday Honours List
The Queen's birthday honours list is out. It recognises the contribution of people across our region.
Tennis Coach Bashir Kara - known as Bash - has been awarded a British Empire Medal for services to the sport.
He started his coaching in the 1990s by bringing tennis to children and young people in Southampton with the City Tennis Club programme.
Bash is 81 but he still works as part of a coaching team with his two current tennis clubs, Swanmore and Andover, insisting he has no intention of stopping and will continue to coach his young players.
Whilst coaching at the City Tennis Club, he introduced an inclusive tennis programme, including a wheelchair tennis session. He is currently coaching another deaf player who now trains as part of the LTA's National Deaf squad.
Patricia Bernal, from Tunbridge Wells, has been made an MBE for services to the prevention of stalking.
Her daughter, Clare, was murdered by a man she briefly dated, several years ago. Since she experienced this tragedy she has dedicated herself to highlighting the devastating effects of stalking.
The 65-year-old co-founded Protection Against Stalking, a national charity which works within communities to raise public awareness about stalking, and support victims of stalking through providing specialist support services.
She believes that every victim of stalking should have relevant support and protection, including access to a locally-based specialist advocacy service.
Lyric Soprano Nadine Benjamin, from Hove, has also been appointed an MBE for services to opera.
From 2018 to 2020, she was an English National Opera Harewood Artist and made her debut with the Company as Clara in Porgy and Bess, followed by Musetta in La Bohème. She made her Royal Opera House debut in October 2020 as a soprano soloist in New Dark Age.
She appeared at the BBC Proms in 2019 and at the Women's Festival in Greece and given private recitals at the Palazzo Doria Pamphilj in Rome.
She is also a mentor, certified High Performance Coach and Mind Coach, and founded her opera and mentorship programme 'Everybody Can!' in 2015 to provide a platform to encourage and support others in recognising and achieving their own visions and self mastery.
For services to charity Olga Johnson was made an MBE.
She is the founder of Nourish Community Foodbank in Tunbridge Wells and has steered a number of charitable organisations to success.
Nourish supported 177 people in its first year (2012/13) and this figure has grown to over 7,000 people per annum to date (2019/20).
She arranged for food bags to be delivered to homes so that those unable to travel due to financial difficulty or ill-health could still receive support.
She also signposts clients to other agencies that could support them if they need financial advice, counselling, mental health charities and employment opportunities.
Olga explains what motivates her.