New Year Honours list recognises North Yorkshire heroes
A number of people from across the County have been named
People in North Yorkshire have been recognised in the New Years Honours.
David Alwyn Town BEM
David Alwyn Town from Northallerton is given a BEM for services to Bell ringing in Northallerton and Hambleton.
The 74 years old has been a bell ringer since the age of eleven and in pursuing his passion he eventually became Tower Captain in his hometown of Northallerton, a position he has held for over 50 years.
He runs practice and tuition sessions each week for around twenty people within an age range of early teens to late seventies, where hundreds of learners have passed through his hands.
Mary Margaret Rose Fisher BEM
88 year old Mary Margaret Rose Fisher from Harrogate is given a BEM for services to Child Road Safety.
She has recently retired from being the village of Summerbridge’s lollipop-lady, where she has spent decades getting all of the village’s children to school safely.
She shows no intention of slowing down or restricting her activities.
She knows all the children by name and their parents’ names. She talks to the children whilst on duty, comforts them when needed. She knows their birthdays and will give them a card and £2.
Heidi Probst MBE
Heidi Probst from Harrogate is given an MBE for services to Radiography
Her work is in the fields of research and education in radiotherapy and oncology.
At Sheffield Hallam University, she leads on the research methods of multi professional education modules, working with six allied health professions, nursing and midwifery lecturers and students.
Within her own very significant research output, she prioritises ideas that will improve the experience of radiotherapy for cancer patients. Recently these have included methods to avoid permanent tattooing with skin markers and the development of a special bra to provide suitable immobilisation for breast radiotherapy.
Both studies help not only to ensure accurate radiotherapy treatment but also serve to improve the experience of therapy during a traumatic period for patients reducing anxiety and improving dignity for women.
John Michael Grimshaw MBE
Director, Yorkshire Arboretum. For services to Tree Health and Plant Conservation
56 year old John Michael Grimshaw from Malton has been the driving force behind the creation of the pioneering Tree Health Centre (THC), the first such initiative in the UK, launched in 2021.
In addition to his role as Director of the Yorkshire Arboretum since 2012, he perceptively identified a pressing need for specialist training in tree health science.
He raised around £1.2M for the build, staffing and running of the THC.
Since autumn 2021, he, alongside the Arboretum staff, designed a range of courses covering a breadth of subjects relating to tree health, pests and diseases, and related subjects.