An England star, NHS heroes and charity champions are among those from Greater Manchester who have been recognised in the King's New Year Honours list.
England star player Lucy Bronze, who rose to fame following the Lionesses victory in the Euros this year, has been made an MBE for her services to football.
Countless NHS heroes have been honoured for their wide ranging efforts. These include Sarah Dale, who helped raise £2m to implement a support service for those wishing to die with dignity at home, and who has been awarded a British Empire Medal for her services to palliative care.
READ MORE: The King's New Years Honours list 2023 in full
And Professor Robina Shahnaz Shah MBE DL JP, from Stockport, was awarded a DBE (Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire) for services to Patient Care.
Others to be honoured include selfless charity champions who went that extra mile to help others in their community. They include runner Steve Watts whose relentless campaigning has seen him raise millions, and Dee Drake who bought tens of thousands of Christmas presents for disadvantaged children in Greater Manchester.
Also honoured was Marie McCourt, mother of Helen McCourt who was murdered in 1988. Marie tirelessly campaigned for Helen's Law, who received an MBE for services to Families of the Victims of Unlawful Killing. The oldest from the North West to be recognised this year is 100-year-old Peter Davies, from Bollington in Cheshire, who is also be awarded a BEM for his work as a reading volunteer at Dean Valley Community Primary School.
Dozens of people connected with Greater Manchester have been recognised in this year's honours list. The Manchester Evening News has spoken to a few of those people about their amazing achievements, and you can read their interviews below the full list of those recognised.
Everyone from Greater Manchester named in New Year Honours
Kings Ambulance Service Medal
Salman Desai, Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Director of Strategy, Partnerships and Transformation, North West Ambulance Service.
Knighthood
Professor James Louis John Appleby CBE. Professor of Psychiatry, University of Manchester and Chair, National Suicide Prevention Strategy Advisory Group. For services to Medicine and Mental Health. (Manchester, Greater Manchester)
Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE)
Professor Robina Shahnaz Shah MBE DL JP. Director, Doubleday Centre for Patient Experience. For services to Patient Care. (Stockport, Greater Manchester)
Commanders of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)
Peter Joseph McGhee. Principal, St John Rigby Sixth Form College, Greater Manchester. For services to Further Education. (Cheadle, Greater Manchester)
Professor Linda Joyce Merrick. Principal, Royal Northern College of Music. For services to Music in Higher Education. (Altrincham, Greater Manchester)
Officers of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)
Stuart Roy Bennett. Refugee Resettlement Lead, Universal Credit Complex Needs, Department for Work and Pensions. For Public Service. (Eccles, Greater Manchester)
Professor Mohamed Pourkashanian. Managing Director, Energy Innovation Centre, University of Sheffield. For services to Net Zero Research and to Innovation. (Altrincham, Greater Manchester)
Asrar Ul-Haq DL. For services to the community in Greater Manchester. (Rochdale, Greater Manchester)
Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)
Charles Frederick Banks. Chair, North West Wheelchair Users Group and Secretary, Manchester United Disabled Supporters; Association. For services to People with Disabilities in Greater Manchester and North-West England. (Manchester, Greater Manchester)
Gwynneth Bellman JP. Magistrate. For services to the Administration of Justice and to the community in Manchester. (Altrincham, Greater Manchester)
Elaine June Bousfield. Founder and lately Chief Executive, Kooth PLC. For services to Children and Young People's Mental Health. (Manchester, Greater Manchester)
Lucy Bronze. For services to Association Football. (Manchester, Greater Manchester)
Jade Bridget Clarke. For services to Netball. (Manchester, Greater Manchester)
Samantha Davys. Equality and Future Talent Manager, TalkTalk. For services to Young People and to Inclusion in Digital Industries. (Middleton, Greater Manchester)
Robert Colin Elstone. For services to Sport. (Stockport, Greater Manchester)
Charlotte Jane Gilley. Founder and Chair, Maverick Stars Trust. For services to Boxing.
Stephanie Hart. End User Compute Lead, Network Rail. For services to the Railway and to Children's Education. (Oldham, Greater Manchester)
Mohammed Wakkas Khan DL. Founder, Young Interfaith. For services to Charity, to Young People and to Interfaith Relations. (Whalley Range, Greater Manchester)
Richard James George McAvoy. Armed Forces Champion, Department for Work and Pensions. For Public Service. (Manchester, Greater Manchester)
Marie McCourt. Campaigner for Helen's Law and Support After Murder and Manslaughter Merseyside. For services to Families of the Victims of Unlawful Killing. (Wigan, Greater Manchester)
Teresa Michelle McLaughlin. Student Engagement and Student Voice Lead, Trafford College Group, Trafford, Greater Manchester. For services to Education. (Stockport, Greater Manchester)
Elizabeth Morley. For services to the community in Bolton and Bury, Greater Manchester. (Bury, Greater Manchester)
Martin Clifford Jones. Chief Executive Officer, Home Instead UK Limited. For services to Older People.
Shelly Jayne Quinton-Hulme. For services to the community in Stretford, Greater Manchester. (Manchester, Greater Manchester)
Andrew Henry Robertson. For services to Association Football, to Charity and to Young People.
Elizabeth Scott. Client Engagement Director, Tech Nation. For services to the Technology Sector. (Manchester, Greater Manchester)
Professor Charlotte Anne Skitterball. Group Chief Pharmacist, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust. For services to Pharmacy. (Altrincham, Greater Manchester)
Robert Thompson Splaine. For services to the community in Atherton, Greater Manchester and the North West. (Manchester, Greater Manchester)
Ellen Toni Convery/Ellen White. For services to Association Football. (Glossop, Derbyshire)
Medallists of the Order of the British Empire (British Empire Medal/BEM)
Christopher Paul Ashworth. Estates Manager, Ashton Sixth Form College. For services to Further Education. (Dukinfield, Greater Manchester)
Sarah Elizabeth Dale - Director of Quality, Innovation and Collaboration, East Cheshire Hospice. For services to End of Life Care. (Macclesfield, Cheshire)
Martyn James Davies. Care Home Manager, Urmston Manor. For services to Care Home Residents in Manchester. (Eccles, Greater Manchester)
Deirdre 'Dee' Drake. Founder, The Toy Appeal. For Charitable Services.
Geoffrey Hawley DL . For services to the community in Cheshire.
John Patrick Holt. Committee Member, Bolton Olympic Wrestling Club. For services to Wrestling and to the community in Bolton. (Bolton, Greater Manchester)
Shirley Irlam. Lunchtime Supervisor, Wistaston Academy, Crewe, Cheshire. For service to Education.
Jim Jones. Inspector and Armed Forces Champion Greater Manchester Police. He has been recognised with a BEM for his work to improve the way police forces work with military veterans. His close work with the veterans community has seen veterans encouraged to consider jobs within the police force and his approach has been followed by many other police forces across the country. For services to Policing and to the Armed Forces.
Richard William Lower. For services to the community in Buxton, Derbyshire.
Liam Manton. Co-Founder, Didsbury Gin. For services to the community in Greater Manchester during Covid-19. (Manchester, Greater Manchester)
Michael Anthony Newman. Founder, Speed of Sight. For services to People with Disabilities including Visual Impairments. (Manchester, Greater Manchester)
Peter Gordon Nicol. Chair of Governors, Bury College, Bury, Greater Manchester. For services to Education. (Bury, Greater Manchester)
Alison Jean Peek. Co-Founder, Women's Institute Wanderers. For services to Women's Health in Greater Manchester during Covid-19. (Manchester, Greater Manchester)
Mark Smallwood. Co-Founder, Didsbury Gin. For services to the community in Greater Manchester during Covid-19. (Altrincham, Greater Manchester)
'It's very emotional - I'm just a kid from Collyhurst!'
Here are some words from some people in Greater Manchester and the North West who have been recognised in the King's New Year Honours list.
Fell runner Steve Watts, who grew up in Collyhurst, has been given an MBE for services to charitable fundraising
Steve Watts was inspired to take up fell running after reading a magazine article in a doctors' surgery waiting room in Chadderton. The subject of the piece was Lake District sheep farmer Joss Naylor, who had just ran the Bob Graham Round - a 66 mile race up 42 lakeland peaks in 24 hours.
"I thought 'That's impossible'," said Steve. But Joss' achievement lit a fire in the former soldier.
He commissioned an artist pal to paint a picture of Joss, and wrote to the farmer asking if he'd sign it. Joss agreed and Steve drove to his farm in the shadow of Scafell Pike. It was the first time he’d been to the Lakes and he instantly fell in love with the place.
Steve said Joss came down off the fell where he'd been herding sheep, took one look at him after he had just finished a cigarette and said, 'Thee lad, needs to stop smoking, lose some weight and get on the fell'.
On his return home Steve, who was born and raised in Collyhurst, took up fell running. And three years later he completed the same 'impossible' Bob Graham Round challenge. More than 40 years later Steve, now 69, has raised 'millions' of pounds for charity through running.
Along the way he raised £30,000 to buy a ventilator for a young boy called Gary Hughes by running 52 miles from Oldham to Blackpool with his dog Rob, £1m for a CT scanner at Booth Hall Hospital and more than £250,000 in the Children Running for Children events in Heaton Park in the late 80s.
In more recent years he ran in the Hillary Tenzing Everest Marathon, raising over £10,000 for the Himalayan Trust UK and the British Heart Foundation, after a visit to Everest base camp to mark his 60th birthday coincided with one of the mountain's deadliest ever landslides in which 16 Sherpas were killed.
Now his incredible efforts been recognised with an MBE in the King's New Year's Honours.
Steve, a father-of-one, who moved to the Lake District six years ago where he now works as a tour guide, said: "I was overwhelmed. It's been very emotional. I'm just a kid from Collyhurst. It's been an an incredible team effort in everything we've achieved over the last 40 years.
"Christina and my son Mathew, we've done it all together. It's been incredible. Joss inspired me and many others along the way. If it wasn't reading that magazine I wouldn't be here now."
Inspector Jim Jones, of GMP, given a BEM for services to policing and the armed forces
Inspector Jones, who has given 27-years of service to GMP, currently works as part of the Specialist Operations Branch at Manchester Airport and acts as the force’s Tactical Lead for the Armed Forces Covenant.
A GMP spokesperson said of Inspector Jones: "Jim is well-known throughout the force for his diligence and dedication to policing, but also within the armed force’s community for his exceptional efforts in ensuring military personnel both past and present, as well as their families, are fully supported. His close work with the veterans’ community has seen veterans encouraged to consider jobs within the force and his approach has been followed by many other police forces across the country.
"Throughout his illustrious career, Jim has held a passion for supporting vulnerable offenders by putting diversionary activities in place to help steer them away committing offences and the criminal justice system."
GMP say Inspector Jones' schemes have helped vulnerable domestic abuse victims, alongside projects to divert veterans in trouble away from the criminal justice system.
Speaking about the honour, Inspector Jones said: “We are indebted to His Majesty’s Armed Forces personnel both past and present; not just to those who serve in conflict zones, but to all those – including family members – who often put their own personal lives on hold, living transient lives to serve King and country to protect the freedoms we take for granted.
“I was brought up in a military household with my father serving for 22-years in the Royal Air Force. Although he now suffers from Parkinson’s disease and dementia, I know that he, along with my mother, will be incredibly proud of me receiving this medal, which is more important to me than anything else.
“I will wear the medal with pride. And finally, to all those who are serving, have served or are family members of those in service, I just want to say thank you.”
Chief Constable Stephen Watson said: “I would like to offer my congratulations to Inspector Jim Jones, who is an outstanding example of dedication, innovation and service to colleagues, armed forces personnel and the public.
“Jim is a worthy recipient of the British Empire Medal as he is renowned for putting the care of victims and those who are most vulnerable at the heart of everything he does. He is a dedicated and professional police officer, as well as a hugely enthusiastic and supportive champion of the armed forces.
“His significant work to support armed forces veterans has been instrumental to cultivating GMP’s reputation of being an exemplar armed forces employer.”
Dee Drake, founder of the Toy Appeal, has been given a BEM for charitable services to disadvantaged children
This Christmas Dee Drake bought more than 80,000 presents. She's not got the world's biggest family - it's because she's the founder of The Toy Appeal, an amazing charity which provides gifts for disadvantaged kids.
This year the charity's efforts meant thousands of children across Greater Manchester and Cheshire woke up on Christmas Day morning to presents they might otherwise not have received. The appeal started life at the Lalley Centre in Collyhurst 10 years ago.
Dee, 50, went to volunteer at the community centre and found herself shocked by some of the poverty she witnessed.
She said: "It was just a real shock to the system. It really touched a nerve seeing all these kids going without. I roped my husband in and that first year we helped 500 kids in Collyhurst and it all just went from there. This year we gave presents to 10,704 kids.
"We haven't got kids and it just gives us a nice feeling on Christmas Day morning. It's my baby and I love it."
Dee, of Knutsford, Cheshire, has now been given a BEM in recognition of her charity's work. She said: "I'm absolutely thrilled [to be recognised]. I got quite emotional when I got the email. But it's a real team effort."
Chas Banks, secretary of the Manchester United Disabled Supporters’ Association, has been awarded an MBE for services to people with disabilities
Banks, who went to his first United match against Luton Town on Christmas Day with his father in 1957, has been involved with MUDSA for 25 years and campaigned to enhance facilities for disabled supporters at Old Trafford and other stadia in Greater Manchester. An £11million upgrade to disabled facilities at United's stadium was completed in 2021.
The 72-year-old said: “I am absolutely thrilled to receive this honour and it was an amazing surprise when I was informed. There has been huge progress made in the way that disabled fans are treated at football games and I’m proud of the role that MUDSA continues to play in that ongoing process, particularly at Old Trafford.
“Of course, it’s a great honour personally, but really this is for everyone who has been part of building MUDSA into the biggest and best disabled supporters’ organisation in football. That wouldn’t have been possible without the support of Manchester United, my wife and carer Shirley, the MUDSA committee, and all our loyal members.”
Read his interview in full here.
Stuart Roy Bennett, a civil servant of nearly 30 years, has been given an OBE for public service
Stuart Bennett, a Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) employee and Eccles resident, has also been recognised in the King’s New Year Honours List 2023. Stu, a long-standing civil servant of nearly 30 years, was awarded an OBE – Officer of the Order of the British Empire – for his dedication to public service.
Stu works in DWP’s central Universal Credit Transformation and Delivery team, improving support for vulnerable benefit claimants with complex needs, including helping Ukrainians and Afghans fleeing the war.
Reacting to his award, Stuart said: “I was in shock, but also very proud for being recognised - especially by my colleagues and being nominated in the first instance.
“I started at DWP nearly 30 years ago in a number of operational roles, including a jobcentre work coach. More recently in my career I’ve been leading a number of projects to improve our service design for vulnerable benefit claimants with complex needs. These include domestic abuse victims, rough sleepers, those experiencing food poverty, care leavers, modern slavery and refugees.
“The emergency responses I’ve worked on recently have been very rewarding and great pieces of work to be involved with, but it most definitely has been a team effort. Seeing these challenges people face and the support they need is what motivates me and my team to be at our best.
“To help develop the best possible service I’ve worked closely with key partners and charities to learn from their knowledge and experiences – charities such as Women’s Aid and Shelter.
“I am especially proud of my work with Women’s Aid in building a great working relationship to improve services for those experiencing and fleeing abuse. Through this relationship I was invited to attend the Women’s Aid National Conference.
“In August 2021 following the crisis in Afghanistan, I worked with other government departments and very closely with the Home Office as part of ‘Operation Warm Welcome’ a cross- government effort to support Afghan arrivals in the UK. The priority was to ensure they were safe and had access to government support in the accommodation they were living in.
“Our Jobcentre colleagues who went to all the locations and supported citizens with their concerns (family still in Afghanistan, child education, financial support, health etc) are the real stars.”
“A memorable moment for me was leaving an Afghan Bridging Hotel and high fiving the Afghan children returning from school. It made me feel proud of the work we have all done to ensure those fleeing are safe, and gave me extra motivation to do more.”
Martin Jones, CEO of Home Instead UK Ltd, has been given an MBE for services to Older People
When Martin Jones’ dad became ill with cancer, he left his job in retail and came across the incredible work of Home Instead UK.
Based in Cheshire, the charity provides care for elderly people to stay well and safe in their own home and currently provides care for 14,000 people, making it one of the largest care providers in the UK for older people.
Now working as the Chief Executive Officer, as well as sitting on the Trustee board for Age UK and The Silver Line, Martin is passionate about providing a voice for the elderly in our community.
“It was this serendipitous moment,” Martin said of finding the charity.
“I think we are blind to older people and what they can do to support our society and how we can support them themselves. We have got societal blindness. In my work we communicate with and give older people a voice.”
Martin, 54, of Hartford, Cheshire, added that he wishes to champion care workers and the amazing work they do for the elderly.
“I love my job, and the different jobs I do, and when you enjoy something it’s not a chore, and when you are making a difference as well it’s not a chore.,” he said.
“We make a difference to a lot of people’s lives. We also employ a lot of older people, some care workers are in their 80s, and look after younger people. As people get older they are willing to give something back. Age is just a number.”
Martin has now been awarded an MBE in recognition for his services to Older People.
He said: “It was a nice surprise. I am just humbled, truly humbled. This has been very rewarding and totally out of the blue. This for the care workers and for the older people - I don’t see it for me.”
Sarah Dale, Director of Quality, Innovation and Collaboration, East Cheshire Hospice, has been given a British Empire Medal for services to End of Life Care
Sarah Dale, from Macclesfield, began working as a hospice nurse back in 2005. From there, her dedication and compassion to palliative care brought her to help implement a new strategy to give people a choice about what they wanted for their end of life care.
As she worked on the wards, she was seeing more and more people wishing to stay at home, surrounded by friends and family.
And so, from 2017, working as a project manager, Sarah and the team went about trying to raise £2 million in an attempt to make that happen for the people in East Cheshire.
“We knew they needed something and so needed the money to do it but didn’t know how to do it. We had little funding, so we decided to give it a go ourselves,” she said.
Sarah and the team went about speaking to various people to see where the gaps were in terms of end of life care and the supporting services.
Following numerous dinner parties and a sponsored hike up the Himalayas, the impossible was made possible, and the Hospice@Home service was up and running.
Sarah, 46, said: “We have supported over 1500 people and 3000 carers, allowing them to die with dignity at home and we intend to keep doing that. We gave people more of a choice about going into hospital or staying at home and being able to talk about what they want for their end of life care, who they want to care for them, and they have the support of the healthcare professionals.
“We want to get more people talking about what they want for the end of life. Not a lot of people want to talk about death and we want to give people that choice of talking about what they want. We can help them and support their family with that choice.”
Her work recently has been to champion equality, diversity and inclusion in end of life care to guarantee that no one is excluded from accessing the services they need when and where they need them.
Now, Sarah has been given a British Empire Medal in recognition for her services to end of life care. She said: “It’s crazy. People like me don’t get awards like this.
“I went to talk to my boss about it as I thought it was a joke. The award isn’t for me, it’s for everyone who’s worked with me, the amazing nurses who are delivering the support for people, it really is a massive group effort.
“It's all a bit surreal. Whenever I see the New Year’s Honours, I always think they must have done something amazing, but then I look back and see all the things we have achieved as a hospice.”
John Philip Lord, Chairman of Ribble Rivers Trust, has been given a BEM for charitable services to river conservation
Philip Lord was instrumental in creating the Trust (Chairman for 22 years) that improves, protects and promotes the river Ribble and its 753 mile attachment.
His leadership has also seen hundreds of hectares of peat moorland restored and over 200,000 trees planted to reduce flood risk, and returning a range of fish species to places absent in nearly 200 years.
Philip, 84, from Lancashire, grew the Trust from six volunteers into a successful charity with an active team of 23 employees, he said: “We started from nowhere, and now have terrific staff to improve water quality and river restoration.
“There has been no serious work done on rivers before, though they are essential to every ecosystem. The Trust is part of a greater movement, and the entire team should be incredibly proud of this recognition.”
His projects include tree planting, education programmes and establishing nature reserves, benefiting hundreds of thousands of people.
While his pioneering leadership has been pivotal to the delivery of a Nature Reserve focused on water, Primrose Nature Reserve, which was a neglected site now transformed into a place for local people to enjoy and learn about rivers.
Philip's collaborative approach with local communities has enabled them to enjoy and protect their local rivers and streams, delivering everything from litter picks and invasive species control, to improving footpaths and creating walk guides.
He also became a founder member and trustee of the National Rivers Trust, which saw his contribution expand from Lancashire and Yorkshire to England and Wales.
Shirley Irlam, a lunchtime supervisor from Crewe, has been given a BEM for services to education for Wistaston Academy.
Shirley Irlam, 87, has been involved in helping her local school (Wistaston Academy) since 1970. She has been a lunchtime supervisor in the academy for 50 years and is well known in her community.
“I have worked hard in the school. I did it for the education purposes, it’s mainly for the kids.”
“I don’t know how much I have donated. If I had to guess, it’s probably running into the thousands.”
Shirley has helped to raise thousands of pounds for the school by organising fundraising events, such as a sponsored pram push and a sponsored bouncy castle jump.
“It’s always about helping the community, it’s all I have known.”
Shirley as become heavily involved as a secretary of the parent-teacher association (PTA) which led to her becoming an active part of the school governing body.
She was not only involved with Wistaston school but also the local secondary school too.
“I would have never thought I would have won. I was shocked to put it that way.”
She added: “I just never expected to win for the things I had done, I am honoured.”
Others recognised in this year's New Year honours list included Professor James Louis John Appleby CBE, who received a Knighthood for his services to Medicine and Mental Health; and Asrar Ul-Haq who was one of the first Asian police officers in Greater Manchester Police and spent his career in policing building a positive relationship between marginalised communities and law enforcement.
His work bringing together people from different faiths and backgrounds for a common good has earned him an OBE.
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