Queen's Birthday Honours: The Devon people who've made the list
Many have been awarded MBEs and BEMs for their services to their communities
Local people are among those being recognised in the The Queen's Birthday Honours List for 2021. Here is the full list of those awarded MBEs or BEMs in Devon:
Georgina Carlo-Paat from Ilfracombe has been awarded an MBE for services to promoting women at sea.
● She had ended her sea career as the Captain of the aggregate dredger Sand Heron - the first female master in the dredging sector.
● There has never been a consistent flow of women at sea, so when she came to sea in 1991 there were no predecessors at hand to talk to or ask for advice.
● She finished her career at sea as Captain of the aggregate dredger Sand Heron in 2018 when she took up the post of Harbour Master. She was always the only female on-board.
● Taking the role of Ilfracombe Harbour Master in 2018, she became the first female in that role that Ilfracombe had ever had and only one of a handful of women Harbour Masters countrywide.
● She has endeavoured to make the Harbour a more cost-effective operation by looking at how to deliver a better service with long term cost saving to the owners and more opportunities to the stakeholders.
● During Covid-19, the Harbour was inundated with ever changing guidance and legislation whilst she calmly worked out how they could still operate but keep the stakeholders safe at the same time.
● She ensured that information she was receiving was populated quickly and questions raised were answered promptly and with the help of other Harbour Masters and the UKHMA was able to get the commercial operators working as soon as it was possible and able to have the Harbour COVID secure.
Geoffrey Preston from Exeter has been awarded an MBE for services to Stucco and Pargeting
● He is responsible for the reintroduction of the craft of stucco in the UK, a style of pargeting whereby designs are moulded directly onto a wall or ceiling, which is categorised as endangered on the Red List of Endangered Crafts (2019).
● He has been a sculptor and decorative plaster worker for fifty years and is regarded as England’s foremost modeller of architectural detail in stucco and moulded plaster.
● He founded two of the country’s most respected conservation companies (Nimbus and Cliveden) after being apprenticed as a stonemason in London, working as a carver on the West Front of Exeter Cathedral in the 1980s.
● In 1989, a fire destroyed the National Trust’s Uppark House in West Sussex, including five spectacular state room ceilings. Stucco had not been used in England for over a century, and the skills and recipes associated with it had all been lost. He recruited, trained and led a team of seven sculptors, spending 14 months modelling directly onto the ceiling from scaffolds. In doing so, he reinvented the art of hand-modelled plasterwork, or ‘stucco’. The project won the 1994 Humber Silver Salver for Plastering and the 1995 Conservation Award from the Institute of Conservation.
● He has trained countless craftspeople over the past forty years, ensuring that today his craft remains out of the Red List’s highest-risk category.
● The six artists trained at Uppark have gone on to roles including head of sculpture at a major film studio, head modelmaker at Aardman Animations, and a sculpture conservator working with the V&A and British Museum.
● Other high profile projects have included Thornhill Park in Dorset in 2006, the first time in over a century that stucco had been used for a new project, and went on to win the 2008 Plaisterers’ Trophy (one of five times he won this award).
● He has also created four large stucco panels for Wudston House, a new ballroom ceiling for Great Fulford, and a new stair hall ceiling for Fawley House. His work also includes the Muqarnas sculpture, part of HRH The Prince of Wales’ private collection at Highgrove.
Claire Twitchin from Teignmouth has been given an MBE for services to the community in Teignmouth, Devon particularly during Covid-19
● She is actively raising money for NHS scrubs paediatric wards by printing a calendar of sunrises she takes every morning and donating the money to The Sewing Scrub Army (Facebook) Teignbridge and Torbay.
● She raises funds for small and large charities close to her heart, totalling over £20,000.
● She has been involved with Parkrun; a Facebook group called ‘Community Matters’, which focuses on giving people a voice and making a difference in the community in various ways.
● She has completed marathons, triathlons, hosted cake sales and a host of other activities.
● She raised over £2,500 for Macmillan’s ‘Brave the Shave’ campaign in 2016. Until recently, her full time role was as an Early Years Practitioner within a local Early Years unit. She is now a teaching assistant at a specialist school catering for pupils with severe or profound learning difficulties.
Christopher Robinson from Plymouth has been awarded an MBE for services to Heritage, Conservation, Education, Business and Tourism in Plymouth.
● For over 40 years, he has been active as an historian, researcher, author, illustrator and publisher for both the academic and popular heritage of the City of Plymouth.
● Since 1991 he has been informally recognised as the ‘City Historian’ and has contributed significantly to the civic dignity of the city. This has been a role of particular importance in view of the extensive loss of Plymouth’s built heritage, archives and images amid the bombing raids of World War II.
● His published works are characterised by both his accumulated personal knowledge and thorough ongoing research, with the result that they are acknowledged as perpetual reference sources.
● He has been a weekly feature writer for the ‘Plymouth Herald’ since 1982 taking an interactive approach through inviting readers with personal reminiscences or factual information to send it in which he then distils for the wider readership.
● His now unparalleled knowledge and easy presentational style is also in demand for amenity society and vivid speaking engagements, educational events and as a frequent contributor to regional TV features.
● He is sometimes called upon to act as an Ambassador for the city’s heritage and tourism promotions.
● He has served voluntarily in various senior strategic roles including Governor and Chair of Governors of Plymouth College, long-serving member of the Plymouth Barbican Historic Buildings and Gardens Trust and President of the Old Plymouth Society.
● He was involved when the City of Plymouth led the UK’s formal international celebrations marking the 400th anniversary of the sailing of the Mayflower back in 1920.
Alison Pessell from Plymouth has been awarded an MBE for services to the English Fishing Industry
● She has been the company secretary of Plymouth Trawler Agents (PTA) since its foundation. PTA auctions fresh fish on behalf of local fishermen.
● PTA has about 100 shareholders made up of boat owners, fish merchants, buyers and philanthropists.
● Its objective is to work towards a sustainable and successful local fishing industry, one of the most diverse in the country.
● She was the first woman to run a modern commercial fish auction in the UK and remains one of two women in doing so.
● Under her supervision, Plymouth fish market became one of the most efficient markets in England that introduced an electronic auction system in England and moved sales online. This improves prices for fishermen and rewards quality.
● Despite many obstacles and difficulties over the past 25 years, PTA has turned the fish market into a very successful venture with its annual turnover growing from £750,000 to over £18m.
● It has been her rock steady, pragmatic and innovative approach that has made the difference on many occasions.
● During the COVID19 crisis she has had to almost single-handedly keep PTA operating, from arriving first thing in the morning to wipe down all surfaces though to re-arranging work patterns to ensure that staff are fully protected, whilst keeping the business in operation at a time when it faces an unprecedented challenge.
● The easier option would have been to furlough the staff and mothball the business, but, some 380 vessels are reliant upon PTA to provide a vital sales outlet. Without the auction house staying in operation many businesses would have failed.
Hilary Ann Burns from Paignton has been given an MBE for services to Basket Making and Heritage Crafts
● She highlights the cultural importance of British basketmaking, both domestically and internationally.
● The driving force behind the largest international basketmaking conference held in the UK in 2013, she has continued to promote the craft globally, with her own work exhibited in New York and Japan, as well as organising skills exchanges to countries such as the Azores and Cyprus.
● She is a maker, teacher, writer, researcher and advocate with a passion for passing on her skills.
● Working with humble materials, she produces stunning functional and sculptural pieces inspired by her study of traditional basketry techniques.
● She has travelled extensively, tracking down new skills to bring home, from beer strainers in South Africa to fishing traps in Gozo.
● She has led a number of prestigious projects including the ‘Baskets of Britain’ exhibition at the 2015 Decorex International Fair in partnership with The New Craftsmen, which brought together twenty makers from across the British Isles and was subsequently exhibited at a prestigious New York hotel, and ‘A Home For All’ exhibition at Selfridges.
● Other high-profile projects have included initiating and curating cultural exchanges and exhibitions with master craftspeople such as Japanese basketmaker Mitsuki Fujiwara, the ‘WWI Basketry Then and Now’ project with Hertfordshire University in 2017, and a research project lead by anthropologist Stephanie Bunn, ‘Forces in Translation’.
● Her book Cane, Rush and Willow was published to high acclaim in 1998.
David Draffan from Plymouth, is awarded an MBE for services to Local Government
● He has supported businesses in Plymouth extensively throughout the period of the COVID-19 pandemic, but has also been a champion of the local family run retail sector in the city for many years.
● He established the economic department at Plymouth City Council in 2009 and has led the delivery of Plymouth’s major transformation projects over the last decade, ranging from retail and leisure, through science and technology, including the £50m Barcode Shopping Centre.
● This work has culminated in the delivery of The Box, a £47m project described as the most significant cultural initiative in the UK in 2020.
● He spearheaded the Oceansgate Marine Enterprise Zone, winning funding and international support for the creation of a world class hub for marine industry research, innovation and production located adjacent to the city’s naval base.
● At the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, he led the city’s response to the impact on businesses, inviting and receiving 3,000 grant applications from local businesses and distributing £32m of financial support within four weeks of the scheme being launched. To date the scheme has delivered over £80m.
● His commitment to smaller businesses is also illustrated by the launch of SHOP4Plymouth and Call4fish over the last six months, providing invaluable support.
● In 2020, one of his most significant and lasting contributions to the cultural life of the city has come to fruition with the opening of The Box. Through eight years of planning, he led the team that has brought together the city’s museum, art gallery and archive into a single, landmark destination. Given Plymouth’s unique naval, expeditionary and cultural heritage, The Box successfully launching to coincide with the 400th anniversary of the sailing of the Mayflower. The Box gives public access to six national collections, two million artefacts, archives, film and the story of the Mayflower.
Paul Morris from Plymouth is awarded the British Empire Medal for voluntary service to Young People in Plymouth
● Coming from a Royal Marines Service family, he enlisted in the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment in 1978 with whom he subsequently served, worldwide, for the next 15 years.
● In 2000, he joined Devon Army Cadet Force (ACF) as an adult volunteer. Rapidly establishing himself as a committed and highly adept instructor, his talents saw him ascend to Detachment Commander ahead of his peers.
● During his time with Devon ACF, he has led six different detachments, all within Plymouth, the latter of which, Crownhill Detachment, he commands to this day.
● As testament to the quality of the leadership he provides, Crownhill Detachment has been awarded the highest possible grade at annual inspection for the last 6 years running.
● In 2008, on his own initiative, he created the local ACF recruiting team within the wider Plymouth area, a role he continues with unabated and one that has seen him at the forefront of countless visits and presentations to schools, community groups and other local stakeholders, extolling the virtues of the cadet movement and the Armed Forces in general.
● Having been involved for over a decade in the planning and preparation for all Armed Forces commemorative events within the City, he has, for the last 5 years, held the role of Parade Marshall for the tri-service cadet contribution to Plymouth’s Festival of Remembrance ‘ no small task given the scale and importance placed on these events. He also volunteered with the Plymouth Half Marathon as event support staff, for a number of years. The Army Benevolent Fund, The Poppy Appeal, Scoot-a-Long, Sue Ryder, Children in Need, Help 4 Heroes, Stand Up to Cancer & St Luke’s Hospice have all been beneficiaries of the nearly £50,000 he has raised in total during this time.
David Musgrove from Torquay is awarded the British Empire Medal for services to Disabled People in Torbay
● He lost his sight in one eye at the age of eleven after an accident and became completely blind when he was twenty.
● Since then he has pursued both a paid and charitable career, with the majority of his work centered on various causes assisting the blind, whilst also completing further education.
● He initially worked in a car factory for fifteen years, and then at the age of 37 completed his O and A Levels.
● He later went on to complete a postgraduate degree where he was named Student of the Year.
● He worked for the Inner London Education Authority and the Guide Dog Association as a lecturer, training rehabilitation workers.
● He was successful in getting European Social Funding for many projects which transformed young people’s lives.
Trevor Staveley from Torquay has been given a British Empire Medal for services to Vulnerable People and to the promotion of Safer Streets in Torbay.
● His contribution to partnership working in Torbay has been outstanding, having devoted 13 years to volunteering as coordinator of the Torbay Street Pastors.
● By working closely with the police, NHS, the local council and licensed trade, he has helped to improve the safety of the night-time economy and offer support to the vulnerable.
● In addition to improving safety in the night-time economy, the Street Pastors help in daytime and community settings, such as parks, schools and colleges. He enlisted the support of the Christian and Church Network in Torbay as a way of recruiting new members to the Torbay Street Pastors.
● During his time with the Street Pastors he has dealt with over 2,500 incidents, helping to provide support to vulnerable individuals who need a ‘safe place’, picking up glass bottles, giving out footwear and providing a visible presence.
● In 2015, he was awarded a ‘Local Hero’ award for his work and the time he has devoted to Street Pastors.
● Through his effective partnership work on the initiative, Torquay has seen a 30% reduction in crime, a great achievement over a short period of time.
● His work has contributed to Torquay’s Best Bar None scheme, which has reduced alcohol-related crime and anti-social behaviour through training, education and promotion of best practice, and has increased the attractiveness of the town centre.
Elaine Cawthraw from Bishopsteignton near Teignmouth, is awarded the British Empire Medal for services to the community during Covid-19
● She is Chair of Bishopsteignton Emergency Response Team (BERT) and has been a crucial vocal point in coordinating the emergency response to Covid-19 in the village.
● The Team, supported by approximately 160 volunteers, has been maintaining weekly contact with vulnerable, unwell or isolated residents as well as performing other tasks including delivering medications and shopping.
● This service would not have been effectively delivered and professionally managed without her excellent leadership and direction.
● She has served on BERT since its creation in 2015, initially becoming Vice-Chair, and then Chair in September 2019.
● In addition to BERT she was a Parish Councillor for four years from 2015, and is currently involved in many other community groups in the Parish, where her leadership, inspirational and motivational qualities are displayed vividly.
● As Chair of the Bishopsteignton Scout Group she has made a vast contribution to 90 young people and their parents.
● She is also a founder member of the Healthy Living Group formed in 2011 to help facilitate new premises for the Medical Practice and since to promote improving the ‘life and wellbeing’ of residents in the village.
● A further development has been the creation of a ‘Memory Cafe’, the first in Devon to be awarded the Quality Assurance mark by Devon Council for Voluntary Service (CVS) in 2018.
● As a member of ‘Sustainable Bishop’, she was instrumental in the Parish Council agreeing the ‘Climate Emergency Declaration’ in May 2019, which has been significant in the drive for the community to become plastic free, as well as other related ‘Climate Change’ initiatives.
David Nicholas Cox from Teignmouth gets the British Empire Medal for services to the community during Covid-19
● He devotes his entire life to helping those in need.
● His current job as a development worker with Teignbridge Community Voluntary Services helps charities cross the area in order to raise funds.
● In his spare time, he chairs a successful Food Bank and homeless charity called the Homeless in Teignbridge Support and is actively involved with its running and all of the services it provides.
● During the Covid-19 crisis, he had set out to set up two meals services delivering an amount of 200 plus meals in the coastal areas of Teignbridge.
● He also managed to deliver over 80 food parcels to Newton Abbot and inland areas reaching out to those in need.
● Apart from his voluntary work, he is a Town and District Councillor and very much involved with youth groups in the area.
● If he has any spare time doing what he usually does, he is on many occasions seen tidying up the town to make it a cleaner place.
Nicholas David Hindmarsh from Harberton near Totnes is awarded the British Empire Medal for services to Vulnerable People during Covid-19
● He has worked exceptionally hard leading up to, during lockdown and since restrictions were eased as the Manager of the charity, Dartmouth Caring.
● He has coordinated a team of 120 volunteers for a new daily Meals on Wheels service providing over 11,000 free meals to the vulnerable people in the community.
● He continued to ensure that the money needed for the lockdown came in and the weekly drive to Fareshare in Exeter ensured that the food needed was cost effective.
● This meant they could continue to supply free food to all clients until the end of August and then to those who needed it, with those who could pay.
● He’s now planning for the future and ensuring that the vulnerable in the community are supported by staff and volunteers.
● In addition to his work during the current Covid crisis he has led the charity for four years. In which time they have expanded their services to include two specialist nursing posts; one supporting clients with dementia and the other supporting those with oncology and palliative diagnosis.
● The charity has developed stronger links with the GP practice thanks to his work and this includes running their social prescribing services.
● He is also secretary of the Patient Participation group and has been integral to the discussions about the reconfiguration of local health services with the NHS Trust.