These unsung heroes from the North East have been singled out by her majesty the Queen for their work in the community.
The Queens' Birthday Honours list for 2022 features a number of people from our region who have been praised for a variety of achievements. A string of MBEs and BEMs have been handed out, and these are some of the worthy recipients who have been singled out.
They include people who have made a difference to their communities, carrying out voluntary work or going above and beyond in their jobs for years. One County Durham couple have raised more than £1m for people with liver disease, while a Jesmond man has worked tirelessly in running two community establishments in the Newcastle suburb - the pool and the library.
Read more: All the North East people who were celebrated in the Queen's Birthday Honours 2022
Here's a closer look at a few of the North East heroes included in the Queen's Birthday Honours List.
John and Joan Bedlington - MBE
John and Joan, 74 and 71, from Stanley, are chair and honorary treasurer respectively of LIVErNORTH, a Newcastle-based Patient Support Group for patients with liver disease. The husband and wife team were crucial to the founding and development of the charity, which started in 1994 when there was little support for liver patients.
Patients faced 'stigma, misconceptions and prejudices' but now they are much more able to get support and connect with others.
The couple have helped to raise over £1.12 million for the charity since it was founded, through events like the Great North Run, the LIVErNORTH Lottery and a successful art auction.
The charity also works on vital research. Joan maintains and administers the LIVErNORTH Research Register, a list of people who have willing to be involved in research relating to liver disease. Joan and John were instrumental in setting up the LIVErNORTH research laboratories at Newcastle University were set up, as well as the LIVErNORTH flat in Beechwood House at the Freeman Hospital, available for use by families of people with liver disease and others who might need to stay on site.
Diane Buggy - MBE
As well as working as a community midwife in Newcastle Hospitals, Diane set up Mothers to Mothers in 2018 to help vulnerable mothers in the West End, many of whom were refugees and people seeking asylum. The initiative collects donated items for mothers and babies, with the initiative having grown so that all receive a basic starter-pack, and sufficient clothing to last six months.
Diane said: "I feel really quite humble to be honest, really, really shocked. I'm honoured and proud not just to receive the award, but also to be part of such a fantastic team of midwives in Newcastle."
In the future, Diane hopes to set up a social cafe and provide bespoke antenatal education - as well as introducing more mothers to each other to help make connections and alleviate their isolations. However, she says that this is a dream and there are no plans in place - at least not yet.
Linda Watson - MBE
Chester-le-Street 81-year-old Linda Watson is the founder and director of the Youth Connection Theatre Company and she's being honoured for services to the community in her home town.
For over two decades, she worked as the Head of English and Drama at a comprehensive school in a 'deprived and challenging' part of North Durham, according to her citation. In her spare time, she established the Youth Connection Theatre Company, an all-inclusive theatre organisation, and registered charity, which aims to make drama accessible to all, while also putting on professional-level productions in the local area and beyond.
Over its 38 years the company has won national accolades, performed in Europe and become a key part of the performing arts sector in the region. Linda remains the "driving force" behind the company and champions its "principle of inclusivity".
Lynn McManus - MBE
Devoted mum of nine and regular award winner Lynn McManus in 2011 led a major fundraising drive to help establish the Tim Lamb Children’s Centre, at the Rising Sun Country Park, in Benton, run by the Pathways 4 All charity which she set mum.
Lynn, from North Shields, had a dream to build a safe place for disabled children to play after fostering and adopting five disabled children with her husband and seeing for herself the lack of opportunities for children with disabilities.
Within a year of opening, the Tim Lamb Centre was serving over 200 families from the North East area, and Lynn remains a key part of its operations, fundraising, leading volunteers, meeting families, growing supporters and setting events like the annual ball.
The 'lifeline' centre now caters for over 1,500 families across the region. Although it forced to shut during the pandemic, Lynn ensured it continued to support families.
The 61-year-old has been regularly recognised for her amazing work, winning a Pride of the North East award and a prize from The Chronicle Sunshine Fund among her many accolades. Now the Queen has joined those praise Lynn for her service.
Paul Wilson (known as Martin) - MBE
Martin, 50, from Cassop, County Durham, is the executive director of not-for-profit social enterprise TIN Arts, a 'a nationally recognised leader in best-practice inclusive dance' . He's been handed an MBE for 'services to Dance and to Inclusion in the Performing Arts Sector'.
He co-funded the company in a bid to to address the lack of provision for people with a learning disability to participate in dance and the wider performing arts, and for 20 years he and his co-founder Tess Chaytor have been committed to making the country'#s dance sector more accessible and support disabled artisits to develop their own projects.
They have now showcased over 1,000 performances to more than 100,000 audience members, delivered 20,000 workshops and five inclusive arts festivals to more than 120,000 young dancers and their families.
During lockdown TIN Arts provided vital outreach sessions with their dancers with a learning disability either over Zoom, or via recorded DVDs. The organisation implemented pioneering arrangements to welcome learning- disabled participants back to the studio safely and staged a digital festival for children and young people with and without a learning disability.
Julia Millard - MBE
Julia, from Meadowfield, County Durham, has won an MBE for services to education after stepping up to be chair of governors at not just one but three schools, Langley Moor Nursery, Langley Moor Primary School and Durham Community Business College, and helping to shape education across the North East.
She has been an active member of governing bodies for over 20 years, and acted as a volunteer National Leader of Governance (NLG) from 2012 to 2021. Since 2012 she has mentored chairs of governors of over 20 schools and academy trusts in the Northeast, including at schools trying to improve poor Ofsted grades.
Chris Clarke - BEM
Chris Clarke has a long history of involvement in local community organisations, having been a trustee and Secretary of the social enterprise that runs Jesmond Swimming Pool for nearly 30 years before stepping down in 2020. More recently, he's been a trustee of the Friends of Jesmond Library since 2013, when the voluntary organisation was established to prevent the Council's closure of the library.
He has worked tirelessly to support the development of Community Managed Libraries and has given advice both across the North East and further afield. During the pandemic, he kept a Click and Collect service running, mindful of loneliness and isolation issues.
Steven Regan - BEM
Steven, 61, from Piercebridge, County Durham, is chair of the Armed Forces Bikers veterans' charity (AFB). Honoursed for voluntary service to veterans, he set up the charity to relieve the needs of former members of the armed forces and their dependents, supporting veterans who are finding it difficult to make their way in civilian life or who are in financial difficulty throughout the UK.
The AFB offer an internet-based veterans forum which aims to contact as many serving and ex-forces personnel as possible.
Since starting the charity in 2012, Steven has led the charity to raise over £640,000 for struggling veterans. He chairs a grants committee which scrutinises all applications for assistance, more than 1000 since the charity was founded.
The charity hands out 'fairly modest' grants, which can nonetheless be 'life-changing', for example offering a first month's rent for homeless veterans; cash for training courses which have led to employment; or to purchase furnishings and white goods. They also helped to support veterans struggling during Covid.
Steven gives up at least 16 hours per week on unpaid time to support the charity, which gives a 'home from home' to hundreds of members and their families.
Margaret Mitford - BEM
Former head teacher Margaret, 72, from Cramlington, Northumberland, now works to support charity the University for the Third Age, which helps people no longer in full-time work take part in new learning. She recieves the honour for services to education.
She was previously headteacher at Brandling Primary school, and was renowned for her dedicated approach to meeting vulnerable,
disadvantaged children's needs and worked tirelessly with government ministers and other colleagues to showcase and improve education standards. With over 50% of Brandling pupils eligible for Free School Meals, she was among the first heads to provide a breakfast club for children.
Both throughout her career and post-retirement, she has expanded on her leadership and teaching success by volunteering as a board member and a governor across three school trusts including Newcastle and Gateshead.
Since retiring Margaret has held a range of voluntary positions to support education services such as teaching English to refugees and a trustee for a parents and carers forum.
Wendy Minhinett - BEM
Honoured for services to parents of children with mental health needs, this Spennymoor 49-year-old founded the Rollercoaster Parent Support Project. Wendy set up Rollercoaster as a direct result of her own experiences supporting a child with mental health needs.
It provides a programme of support to parents and carers, equipping the information and skills needed to support them in caring for their children whilst also providing a valuable support network.
She regularly trains a wide range of mental health professionals. During the pandemic she worked 'tirelessly' to bring parents together in a virtual space, catering for the ever-increasing needs of young people at a time when mental health services have been cut or reduced.
She gives her time freely for the benefits of others and currently is a Parent/Carer Member of the Quality Taskforce for CYP MH, Carer (Advisor) Representative National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health, working with NHS England and Improvement on parent resources.
She is also parent lead for the Charlie Waller Trust which raises awareness of depression and fights stigma, provides training to schools, universities, workplaces, GPs and nurses.
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