Preston headteacher recognised in New Years Honours list
He is one of 17 people from Lancashire to be honoured
The headteacher of a Preston school has been recognised for his work to lead staff and students through the aftermath of the Manchester Arena terror attack.
The youngest victim of the atrocity in 2017, Saffie-Rose Roussos, was a pupil at Tarleton Community Primary School.
Chris Upton led his team through the grief and trauma that followed, along with the Manchester Arena inquiry to make sure everyone at the school was well supported.
On receiving his OBE, Mr. Upton said:
"When I received the letter a month ago, I was very shocked and it has taken a while to sink in. I am immensely honoured and proud to receive it, not only for myself, but for all those connected with our school.
"Tarleton Community Primary is a special place to be and I want to pay tribute to our staff, children, parents and the communities of the villages of Tarleton and Hesketh Bank in pulling together in the darkest of times to ensure we did the best for our children.
"It is fantastic to see our children are now flourishing at high school."
He made several recommendations to the Home Office and Department for Education, based on his experiences in leading the school following a terror attack.
He was one of 17 people from Lancashire to be recognised in the King's first New Years Honours list:
- Janet Alexander - For public service.
- Professor Richard David Bardgett - For services to Soil Ecology and Climate Change Science
- Nageshwara Dwarampudi Reddy - For public service.
- The Rt. Hon. Andrew George Stephenson MP - For political and public service.
- Yanina Marie Beavers - For services to the community in Blackpool.
- Sharon Patricia Bell - For public service.
- William Fletcher - For services to disadvantaged communities.
- Anne Patricia Gornall - For services to further education and skills.
- Professor Nihal Trevor Gurusinghe - For charitable services.
- Professor Dr. Syed Naseem Naqvi - For services to Blockchain and Distributed Ledger Technologies.
- Allan Peter Clarkin - For services to martial arts and to the community in Lancashire.
- James Jones - For services to policing and to the armed forces.
- John Philip Lord - For services to the environment.
- Joan Musker - For services to the community in Leyland, particularly during Covid-19.
- Nigel Trevor Rix - For services to the community in Clitheroe and the Ribble Valley.
- Paul Joseph Harry Wharton-Hardman JP - For services to the community in Lancashire, particularly during Covid-19.