Queen's Birthday Honours: those who have gone above and beyond in our region
A number of people from across the region have been commended for their achievements in the Queen's Birthday Honours list.
The system gives national recognition to people who have given exceptional service in public and community life and are committed to helping people around them.
North East
Sunderland-born footballer Jordan Henderson has been awarded an MBE for services to football and charity during the coronavirus pandemic.
The England player captained Liverpool to Champions League success in 2019 and the Premier League title in the disrupted 2019-20 campaign. Off the field, he also had a leading role in the #PlayersTogether initiative announced in early April last year at the height of the coronavirus pandemic which saw football and other sports all come to a halt.
Graeme Thompson has been awarded an MBE for services to Cultural Regeneration in Sunderland.
Graham was founding chair and helped set up Sunderland Culture (SC) as a unique partnership of the University of Sunderland, Sunderland City Council (SCC) and the Music, Arts and Culture Trust (MAC).
Claire Malcolm has been awarded an MBE for services to Literature, Young People, and the North-East of England.
As the founder and director of New Writing North, Claire has raised the profile of literature, writers, readers and publishers in the North East. In her years at New Writing North, she has established the North East as a destination for readers and writers with flagship projects including the Gordon Burn Prize, the Northern Writers’ Awards, and the Durham Book Festival.
Lisa Goodwin, Chief Executive of Connected Voice, has been awarded an MBE for services to vulnerable people during the Covid pandemic.
Lisa brought organisations together to work collaboratively with each other and partnered with Newcastle City Council to set up new volunteer service, ‘City LifeLine’ to support vulnerable people self-isolating and community organisations.
Ian Buxton has been awarded an MBE for services to the Preservation of British Maritime History and the community in Tynemouth, Tyne and Wear.
An avid member of the World Ship Society (WSS), he served as president for three years and is known for his attention to detail evident in his involvement in the British Shipbuilding Database enabling the WSS to house over 80,000 records of shipping information.
Robert Henry Mole has been awarded an MBE for services to the community in Hexham, Northumberland.
During his time serving in Slaley, he has been involved in various community services as an elective member of the local agricultural show, the village hall committee and the local football team. He and his wife, Margaret joined a small group of other parents who founded the North of England Children’s Cancer Research Fund (NECCR).
Iain Nairn has been awarded an MBE for services to physical disabilities cricket.
Iain has been an integral part of the England Physical Disabilities cricket squad for eight years, five of those as Captain before retiring from international cricket at the end of 2019. He was a mentor to younger players and helped them to develop their interpersonal skills and personalities outside of the game.
Emrys Pritchard has been awarded an MBE for services to Higher Education.
In his role as Director of Health, Safety and Sustainability at Northumbria University, he led and coordinated the University's preparations and response to Covid-19. His efforts have enabled the university to keep critical services open and ensured that the 600 students who have remained on campus are housed, fed, supplied with medicines and provided with full student support, including mental health support.
Katherine O'Sullivan has been awarded a BEM for services to rowing.
As Deputy Chair or the Board of British Rowing, Katherine's wealth of skills and experience has benefitted her local community and the mental and physical wellbeing of individual rowers. She contributed significantly to British Rowing’s strategy and Whole SportPlan.
Brian Jones is being awarded a BEM for voluntary service.
As CEO and Co-Founder of The Moses Project, Brian provides guidance, mentoring and support to hundreds of adult men who have become disengaged from society often due to addiction.
Mahtab Morovat (Matty) has been awarded a BEM for charitable service in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear.
Matty is a charity worker who has worked tirelessly for the Fightback Charity for12 years on behalf of marginalised people. She is the only member of the charity's part time staff who has worked full time every day including weekends for the first four months of lockdown to support the vulnerable and those affected by Covid.
Brenda McCutcheon is being awarded a BEM for services to adult education.
Brenda has been a sewing tutor for 21 years and has passed on her passion and knowledge to hundreds of novice seamsters and seamstresses. In addition to the normal programmes of learning and skills, in recent years she has been supporting the green agenda by organising and running up-cycling courses. Many of her students come from the most deprived areas of the city and, as well as being a great tutor of needlework, she has done all sorts including charity sewing projects with her classes.
Paul John McEldon has been awarded an OBE for services to Local Growth in the North East of England.
Since 2001 he has been Chief Executive of the North East Business and Innovation Centre (BIC), having overseen the creation of NE BIC as a separate not for profit/social enterprise company following the demise of Sunderland Training and Enterprise Council (TEC) where he had been Finance Director. Under his leadership the NE BIC has become a key business support organisation, utilising EU / ERDF funding to support local growth in the North East of England.
Helen Golightly has been awarded an OBE for services to business and the regional economy.
Helen’s leadership of the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (NELEP) has seen partnership relationships, commitment and buy-in to the Strategic Economic Plan increase significantly, ensuring it has a collective voice nationally. In the wake of COVID-19, she has played a leading role in the region’s coordinated response to the pandemic, bringing together the region’s combined authorities, universities, the CBI and the NE Joint Transport Committee to form the NE COVID-19 Economic Response Group.
Rachael Moses has been awarded an OBE for services to the NHS.
Since 2015 she has worked as Consultant Physiotherapist leading a multidisciplinary team providing excellent care to people with breathing difficulties and respiratory muscle weakness. Rachael is widely recognised for her exceptional knowledge and skills in invasive and non-invasive ventilation, airway clearance techniques and tracheostomy care.
North Yorkshire
Louise Hodgson has been awarded an MBE for services to policing and recruitment through the Covid pandemic.
Leading a cross-College of Policing (CoP) team, she undertook the development and roll out of a technically innovative online assessment centres in only six weeks, to meet the challenge of coronavirus restrictions while maintaining progress towards the government manifesto commitment to recruit 20k new police officers across England and Wales over three years. Her dedication has meant all 43 forces are now using the online assessmentplatform.
John Oxley has been awarded an MBE for services to heritage.
John is York’s specialist advisor on archaeological matters and the guardian of unique historical evidence and has dedicated over 30 years to the protection, investigation and communication of York’s heritage. Through the Archaeological Forum, he has been instrumental in bringing together a great range of interest groups and stakeholders in the city’s archaeology, including historic England, York University, the council for British archaeology and the York Museum Trust, to work together on projects of mutual interest.
Martyn Featherstone has been awarded an MBE for services to further education.
He is an ex-student of The Northern School of Art who, after leaving Teessidefor further study, and a six-year spell as a designer in London, returned to theinstitution 37 years ago to teach. He has been a lecturer and course leader, and is now the longest-serving member of academic staff.
Tarek Thoma has been awarded a BEM for services to the community in Middlesborough and key workers during the Covid pandemic.
Tarek opened The Oven restaurant in Middlesbrough 2015, creating 35 jobs, with his investment being part of the successful regeneration of the Central Point area. A talented chef who worked at Michelin-starred restaurants including the L’Escargot in London and Chapter One in Kent, and famously cooked for George Bush during the former US president’s visit to Co. Durham in 2003, his aim is to provide Michelin star-style food at affordable prices.
Deborah McClelland has been awarded a BEM for services to policing and the community in Middlesbrough.
As one of the first Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) recruited to Cleveland Police since 2003, she has changed the lives of people in the Gresham ward. Having won PCSO of the year for Cleveland Police in 2011, she was nominated by 247 local people who wrote directly to the awarding panel to receive the honour again in 2013.
Barbara Swinn has been awarded a BEM for services to Explore York Library Service and the community in York.
Barbara is the Head of Strategy and Engagement at York Explore Library and Archives, a bustling city centre library with an archive with containing over 800 years of items covering York’s history. Under her guidance, the flagship library York Explore, has developed into an inclusive and accessible cultural hub in the heart of the city.