The Queen's Jubilee Birthday Honours List 2022 has showcased some of the incredible public service work done across the country in a nod the Her Majesty's 70 years of service. In a fitting tribute to The Queen, this year's recipients have been given awards for outstanding contributions across all sectors, as usual, with a particular focus on those who have performed public service, work with the environment and sustainability and youth engagement.
Alongside a tremendous list of deserving Greater Mancunians, a number of famous faces have been recognised, marking their contributions to the country. Here, the Manchester Evening News takes a look at some of the awards given to people across the country.
READ MORE:
Recipients Angela Redgrave, who at 104 is the oldest recipient on this year's list, and 80-year-old Patricia Husselbee are particularly notable for their long service to the country. Angela is the founder and principal of the Bristol School of Dancing and has been given a BEM for services to dance. Patricia, from Newport, has dedicated 64 years of her life to serving the Royal British Legion, granting her a well-deserved spot on the list.
Twins Elena and Ruben Evans-Guillen, 11, are the youngest recipients this year, earning themselves BEMs for raising almost £50,000 for the NHS and NHS-related charities over the past three years. The pair, from Warrington, were just six when they took on their first fundraising challenge - running 100km in a year to raise money for a garden at the town's hospital where mum Mercedes works.
Another young recipient is 22-year-old Alex Griffiths, from Dudley, West Midlands, who has been given a BEM for supporting carers after he himself became a young carer for his mum at the age of just five, supporting her as she lived with multiple sclerosis. He told the PA news agency: "I firmly believe caring is in me, in the fibres of my being, to sound cheesy, it’s what I’m here for, it’s what I’m on the planet for, it’s what I was put here for.
"It’s not something that I’m perfect at and it’s not something I’m great at, but I like to think I’m at least good at it and I give it my best shot, just to try and help people the best I can."
Ann Limb, the first female and openly gay chair of the Scouts Association, has been made a Dame for services to young people and philanthropy after she held the top position from 2015 to 2021. As well as making it easier for young LGBTQ+ people to feel more comfortable with their identity, Dame Ann also helped people in areas of deprivation - opening 1,000 new Scouts units in the poorest areas during her tenure.
Journalist and campaigner Alexis Bowater received an OBE for her work to erect a statue to Nancy Astor in Plymouth on the centenary of her election, her activism on new stalking laws in the UK, and her award-winning community interest company, Beach Schools South West, which takes children out of the classroom and onto the beach for curriculum-linked learning.
For Leeds lass Tina Leslie, founder of Freedom4Girls, an MBE was given for her work tackling period poverty. Ms Leslie says period poverty is being made worse by the cost-of-living crisis, and her charity works to ensure women have access to period products in UK, Uganda, and Kenya.
Two charity Olympians, who took part in all 102 Olympic sports during the Tokyo games to raise money for the Motor Neuron Disease Association, have been made MBEs. University of Bristol student Charlotte Nichols and window cleaner Stuart Bates raised more than £150,000 for the charity, which helped Stuart's brother Spencer who died from the disease in 2011, aged 49.
They named their challenge the Spennylympics, after Spencer, and made TV appearances in 50 countries - finishing their efforts with a marathon in front of fans in Mr Bate's hometown of Weymouth.
Three people have been made Companions of Honour - joining the ranks of a very elite club as there can only be 65 recipients of this honour at any one time. Sir Salman Rushdie, an author, Sir Quentin Blake, an illustrator, and Dame Marina Warner, a historian, have all joined the very exclusive rank. Ian Rankin receives a knighthood for services to literature and charity and actor Damian Lewis receives a CBE for services to drama and charity for initiating the campaign to raise £1m to provide food for NHS workers throughout Covid-19.
Former footballer and commentator Ferdinand has been given an OBE for his activism and charity work; and an MBE has been awarded to cricketer Moeen Ali. Mike Summerbee, a star of the Manchester City side of the 1960s and 1970s, receives an OBE.
Gold-medal winning Beijing Olympic curlers Mili Smith, Victoria Wright, Hailey Duff, and Jennifer Dodds have all been given MBEs, whilst skip Eve Muirhead received an OBE.
Gold-medal winning Beijing Paralympic super-G skier Neil Simpson and his guide, and brother, Andrew have both received an MBE for their work too. Welsh International footballer Gareth Bale has been given an MBE for services to football and charity.
Scottish businessmen James Walker, of the Walkers Shortbread Ltd headquartered in Moray, and Balmoral Group chairman Jimmy Milne, in Aberdeenshire, both received knighthoods for their business and charitable contributions. Damehoods are awarded to Ann Limb, for her role as chair of The Scout Association and the UK Innovation Corridor, and Karen Jones, for services to the business and hospitality sectors.
Dr Raghib Ali, a consultant in acute medicine at Oxford University Hospitals, was given an OBE after taking leave from university work to volunteer during the coronavirus pandemic - both with his local hospital and the Nightingale units. He told a briefing on Tuesday that role models with similar experiences should be available for children from poorer socio-economic backgrounds to help inspire them to achieve, after Dr Ali struggled during childhood after his father lost his job and eyesight, leaving Dr Ali reliant on free school meals. He told the PA news agency “that kind of thing doesn’t really happen” to people from similar backgrounds.
Nurse Maria Hewitt, from Paisley, was given a BEM for her work during the pandemic after she was inspired to become a vaccinator to help protect others from the pain she experienced through losing her husband John to Covid-19. She said: "I was in the absolute depths of grief. It was my lowest moment, but I felt I had to do something to help. Millions had died and every member of NHS staff were working so hard to help. I felt it was what my husband would want me to do.”
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “This historic Platinum Jubilee is not only a celebration of the monarch but of the qualities she possesses. The honours she confers this week reflect many of those qualities that have been invaluable from all different walks of life and to communities across the UK. I pay tribute to all of this year’s winners. Their stories of courage and compassion are an inspiration to us all.”
