People across the South recognised in Queen's Birthday Honours

Professor Jane Falkingham, one of the leading voices on population studies and demographic change in recent years, has been awarded an OBE for services to Social Science in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list.

Professor Falkingham is Director of the ESRC Centre for Population Change and Dean of Social and Human Sciences at the University of Southampton.

Through a career spanning almost 30 years, her research pursues a multi-disciplinary agenda combining social policy and population studies, spanning both developed and developing countries.

A thalidomide campaigner from Sussex has been awarded an MBE in The Queen’s Birthday Honours List.

Michaelina Argy from Forest Row has been at the forefront of the fight for compensation and justice for the hundreds of people born with disabilities after their mothers took the morning sickness drug Thalidomide.

She has helped lobby the government here and is currently campaigning for the German Government to acknowledge the role it played in the Thalidomide disaster. The drug was manufactured by a German company.

It has been announced that Chichester College Principal, Shelagh Legrave is to receive an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list.

Shelagh, who has been Principal of Chichester College since 2010, will be awarded the OBE for services to Further Education.

This award comes after the College were awarded Outstanding in every inspection area during their general inspection in March 2014, in addition to gaining a second Outstanding for their residential care in February of this year.

A cross section of naval personnel have been recognised for their public service in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List 2015.

Nineteen members of the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary have been granted state honours for work in the Armed Forces or other aspects of UK defence.

In total there were;

• Three Companions of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (CB)
• Two Commanders of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE)
• Four Officers of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE)
• Nine Members of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE)
• One Queen’s Voluntary Reserve Medal (QVRM)

An RNLI volunteer from Swanage has been recognised with an MBE on the Queen’s 2015 Birthday Honours list.

Captain Neil Hardy, 65, is a volunteer who has dedicated 25 years of his life to the overall running of Swanage Lifeboat Station.

He was a natural candidate to take on the important role of Lifeboat Operations Manager (LOM) a mere three years after joining. Neil took this role when the station was issued with their new Mersey class lifeboat; a particularly busy and demanding time for all concerned.

Neil has responsibility for a volunteer operational crew of over 40, and one of the RNLI's busiest stations.