Everyone from Bucks, Beds and Herts receiving an award in the King's birthday honours list
Several people have been awarded the honours
People across Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire have been recognised in the King's 2023 birthday honours list.
What honours will they be receiving?
A number of people from our counties have been awarded MBEs (Member of the British Empire), which are granted for an outstanding achievement or service to the community, which has had a long-term, significant impact and will stand out as an example to others.
Others are receiving BEMs (British Empire Medal), which are granted for a ‘hands-on’ service to the local community. This could be a long-term charitable or voluntary activity, or innovative work of a relatively short duration (3 to 4 years) that has made a significant difference.
Here are all those receiving MBEs and BMEs in the King's 2023 birthday honours list from Bucks, Beds and Herts:
Colin Richard Woolford MBE - Buntingford - for services to the State Funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Colin is a Strategic Security Director and Counter Terrorism Adviser. He was involved with the delivery of Operation London Bridge - the Queen's death and funeral.
He also played a key role in delivering policing for the London 2012 Olympic Games.
During Operation London Bridge, Colin was central in pulling together the security and crowd management plans for the contingency of use of St Paul’s for the Queen's lying in State.
Aruna Mene BEM - Hatfield - for services to Fabric Art, to Charity and to Sustainability
Aruna produces environmentally friendly art, clothing and other objects from non-biodegradable fabric waste, to try and reduce the huge volume of unwanted clothing that is placed into landfill each year.
She has had several solo and group exhibitions nationally, from which she has raised thousands of pounds for a number of charities including the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the University College Hospital, London and the Evelina Children's Hospital.
Colin Noel Garrett BEM - Berkhamsted - for services to Violin Making
81 year old Colin re-trained as a luthier (a craftsperson who builds or repairs string instruments that have a neck and a sound box) in his late 50s.
Since then, he's spent the last 30 years supporting a number of charities which underpin violin making in Britain.
For example, in 2003, he offered to help sort out the Rowan Armour-Brown (RAB) Trust accounts. Without his input, the charity, which offers support to students of violin making, may not have survived.
He also helped secure the RAB Trust charitable status in 2004, and has acted as a trustee and treasurer of LSF-UK (Luthiers Sans Frontières) since 2016, which he also guided to charitable status.