New Year Honours for people in the North East and Teesside

Many have been recognised by the King

Author: Karen LiuPublished 29th Dec 2023

People from across the North East and Teesside have been recognised for their selfless service to others this New Year.

The King’s New Year Honours List includes recipients who have made exceptional contributions to their local communities and the country as a whole.

The Government says the North East has previously been underrepresented in the honours system, with the latest stats showing that 26 people, or 2%, of honours go to people in this area.

The Prime Minister is committed to ensuring that honours are awarded to people across the whole of the UK, so that the honours system captures and celebrates the fantastic contribution of people from throughout the country.

Anyone can nominate someone for an honour. If you know someone who has achieved fantastic things worthy of recognition, go to the Government website to find out more about how you can put them forward.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “The New Year’s Honours list recognises the exceptional achievements of people across the country and those who have shown the highest commitment to selflessness and compassion.

“To all honourees, you are the pride of this country and an inspiration to us all.”

Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden said: “Everyone from the North East receiving honours today represents the best in British communities.

“I send my warmest congratulations to this year’s recipients, all of whom are incredibly deserving for what they have achieved.

“If you know someone in your community who has done something extraordinary, nominate them for an honour so together we can recognise what they have achieved.”

BEM

Greta Edwards BEM, 50-years-old, Stockton-on-Tees

Cleaner and Kitchen Assistant, North Shore Academy, Stockton-on-Tees. For services to Education

● She is a day-time cleaner and lunchtime supervisor who has worked at North Shore Academy in Stockton, one of the most deprived boroughs in the country, for over 4 years.

● She spends her days at North Shore cleaning the academy, ensuring that classrooms are sparkling for all students to enjoy.

● At break and lunch time, she goes the extra mile to support the canteen and serves food to students and staff.

● Every morning, she makes sure that she makes a little bit of extra toast, knowing that lots of children do not have money to afford the food that is served at break time. Towards the end of every break time, she takes the extra toast and makes a bee line for students that she knows have not had any.

● At lunch time, her enthusiasm for those that she serves continues. Not only does she plate food with the biggest smile, she makes sure that the most vulnerable students get an extra Yorkshire pudding or naan bread on their plate, knowing that they might not get a dinner when they get home that night.

Mary Boyes BEM, 58-years-old, Stockton-on-Tees

Cleaner, North Shore Academy, Stockton-on-Tees. For services to Education

● She is a day time cleaner who has worked at North Shore Academy in Stockton for over 12 years.

● Every day, she meticulously cleans and scrubs the academy so that the learning environment is the absolute best it can be for students.

● She makes sure that equipment boxes in classrooms are well stocked and spends additional time in her day sponging the walls to make sure the academy looks shiny and amazing.

● She supports the academy’s most vulnerable students and families in every way that she can. She is the first to bring in Easter eggs for students that are unlikely to get any at home, the first to donate prom dresses, shoes and bags so that students that can't afford to go to prom are able to attend, and is the first to donate tins of food and toiletries to the local food bank to support the most vulnerable families.

Ronald Wright BEM, 65 years-old, Red Row, Northumberland

Fleet Technical Officer, Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service. For Public Service

● He remains committed to ensuring the best fire and rescue vehicles and equipment are available and that his fleet contract management provides best value to the Service.

● He recently identified the need for the Service to have its own aerial appliance and procured a ‘used’ vehicle which is now NFRS’s first ever aerial ladder platform.

● His expertise, innovation and attention to detail have been used by suppliers to improve products and processes, e.g. work to improve a new model of breathing apparatus to increase reliability and firefighter safety.

● The high standards he expects mean high levels of service and good value for money are delivered by the fleet maintenance supplier.

● He provides support to the stores department when demand is high, so critical supplies reach fire stations when they are needed.

● He led work to prepare vehicles to be donated to Ukraine, applying careful scrutiny to maximise the safety of the team delivering the vehicles.

● He is currently the driving force behind the development of a strategy to minimise firefighter exposure to cancer-causing contaminants.

● He served as an on-call firefighter for 25 years, planning his day job work to provide cover at any station required, thus improving fire cover in the area.

Christopher (Chris) Stewart Howson BEM, 54-years-old, Sunderland

Chaplain, University of Sunderland. For services to Higher Education

● He has been University Chaplain at Sunderland since 2012.

● He has transformed Chaplaincy to encompass interfaith in its widest sense.

● During lockdowns, his inspirational Global Friendship Group, delivered online, was at the heart of the university’s successful student support package.

● He has developed the university's Chaplaincy team, recruiting a diversity of paid and volunteer staff and engaging them with the university community.

● He is a key advocate and forthright champion of LGBT staff and students. At the Interfaith Centre on campus, he has created a safe space for LGBT people of all faiths and those with none to come together.

● Most recently, he has been active and successful in support of Ukrainian refugees, working to ensure safe haven for them in the City and giving homes to many within his own family and home.

● He was the driving force behind the campaign for Sunderland to be a City of Sanctuary and is now its chair, and has recently secured City Council support for this initiative.

Penelope (Penny) Walters BEM, 57-years-old, Newcastle

For services to the community in Byker, Newcastle upon Tyne, particularly during Covid-19

● During the pandemic, she voluntarily cooked meals for the vulnerable, providing three meals a week. She cooked in the small community kitchen and the meals were distributed by local mutual aid volunteers.

● She oversaw the management of the community centre kitchen, where she continued to cook meals for distribution for a year, including a large Boxing Day Christmas dinner for 120 local residents.

● Her duties involved not just cooking but sourcing food on a budget, liaising with food distribution officers, coordinating volunteers and encouraging people to get involved.

● She managed weekly food distributions where she had her team meet the needs of people who were unable to access alternative provisions.

● In 2020, for the VE celebrations, she created an afternoon tea for her neighbours, bringing them together in a socially distanced way.

● During the pandemic, she communicated with a wide range of people to make the local community responses as effective as possible. If local residents needed support, she was able to point them in the direction of help.

● Over the years, she has worked tirelessly to redistribute food waste in the community.

● She runs sessions of bargain price food for children to eat hot dinners after school.

● She pioneered holiday hunger projects locally, which went on to be research for a city-wide food poverty initiative.

Denise Speight BEM, 60 years-old, Newcastle

Chargehand Cleaner, Newcastle City Council. For services to Local Government

● She is the Chargehand cleaner for the Newcastle upon Tyne Civic Centre cleaning team and has worked for the Local Authority since 2001.

● She has a genuine passion for this historic listed building, and a huge amount of pride in looking after it. She doesn’t just physically clean the building; she is proactive in spotting any potential issues and works as part of the building management team in making sure the building is safe, clean, tidy and presented in its best possible light.

● She worked throughout the Pandemic on site and ensured her team adapted their approach to new ways of working focussing on touch point cleaning, in areas of greatest need.

● On occasions where there have been spillages or floods in the building, she is at the forefront of the clean-up team. No job is ever too large for her, and she works tirelessly without complaint.

David Saunders BEM, 58-years-old, Middlesbrough

For services to the community in Middlesbrough

● He has been coaching youngsters and running football teams at Grangetown for over 45 years, supporting, mentoring literally thousands of kids both on the field and off it.

● He has quite literally spent a lifetime coaching football teams since 1978. At the tender age of 13 he set up a junior’s section through the Teesside Junior Football Alliance (TJFA).

● It has grown beyond all recognition since then, with him having trained in excess of 4,000 players, many of whom are children of parents he also taught.

● Not only does he run the very successful under 9yrs football team, he also runs an academy group from ages 3 to 6 years. Currently 50 children attend this academy with varying levels of ability, many of whom have learning disabilities.

● He is without doubt one of the most successful coaches in the league, having taken a group of disadvantaged children from being barely able to kick a ball to winning the league and cup within a matter of years.

● At the same time as coaching he was fundraising for kits, boots and equipment for the teams he coached, ensuring no child went without regardless of whether they could afford it.

● Once a year, he also organises ‘Dave’s Charity Trophy’ in memory of his stepson who tragically died 14 years ago. Determined that something positive should come from this tragedy, he arranged a football family fun day for good causes, and the event continues to raise thousands of pounds for local causes.

● He also runs a recycling project, ‘Boots for the Community’, which has so far recycled 2,500 pairs of children’s football boots across Teesside and County Durham, passing on perfectly good footwear to more disadvantaged young people. A

● He has also developed strong relationships with communities in South Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia and Congo, where he regularly sends football strips, boots, footballs and bicycles.

● In December 2018, he also set up a project called ‘Pre-Loved Toys and Household Furniture’ aimed at helping Grangetown families who, through hardship, could not afford basic things others take for granted in life. It donates toys, bicycles, clothing, computers and furniture and has over 6,000 followers, providing help to hundreds of families.

● He also hosts several annual children’s events, including Christmas parties, a Pirate party, a Halloween party and an Easter Bunny party. Hundreds regularly attend these events and he always ensures that the children receive a gift (chocolate selection boxes, sweets and Easter eggs).

● At Christmas he also dresses up as Santa and visits children’s homes as well as care homes where he also arranges for a singer to entertain the residents.

● He is hugely respected throughout Teesside for the community work he has done and continues to do, making massive differences to people's lives.

MBE

James St John Fenny MBE, 54-years-old, Stokesley near Middlesbrough

Head of Office, Public Defender Service and Transplant Surgery Ambassador. For services to Criminal Justice and to Organ Donor Awareness

● In 1994 he had a heart transplant and around three years ago he had a kidney transplant.

● He works with some of the most vulnerable in society. The PDS is a salaried criminal defence practice that puts clients before profit.

● During Covid and while shielding, he worked remotely, providing police station advice and court appearances.

● He is responsible for the overall management of the Darlington Office.

James said: "It must have been a couple of months ago now. I got a letter through the post and I found it a bit amusing at first, thinking it might be not right but then I realised it was and felt quite honoured by it really. I was quite surprised. I certainly didn't expect something like that but it was very nice. I'm pleased.

"I had the heart transplant 30 years ago now so I've been very, very lucky and about three years ago I had a kidney, but I think the significant thing was basically after the heart transplant was getting back to normal as soon as possible, and what that meant for me personally was just a normal life, returning to work, having a wife, children and a family life.

"I think it's more about getting out of bed every day, doing my job and getting on with things, so perhaps the MBE's a credit to all those around me; family, work colleagues, people who performed the surgey in the first place and people who carry donor cards and are happy to donate, because that's so much more important than what I've personally achieved."

James Fenny

Alison Fordy MBE, 70-years-old, Redcar

Proprietor, Alison Radcliffe School of Dance. For services to Young People and to the community in Middlesbrough

● Alongside providing a dance school, she provides support to hundreds of children, sometimes over three generations of families, from a non-affluent area.

● Over the many decades of running the dance school, she has supported children and young adults not only through their shared hobby of dancing but other aspects of their lives such as academic goals through contributions and support of participation in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme and in their GCSEs such as: physical education, dance, drama and art.

● This additional support has all been done voluntarily in her own time.

● She has always strived for inclusivity to ensure that the school was always achievable and affordable and promoted a sense of achievement through progression of examinations; rather than a competitive environment.

● This sense of inclusivity was something that she instilled in the foundation of the dancing school when it came to the annual medal presentation where she spent hours of her own time sewing costumes for students; and taught those who wanted to learn how to do this too.

● She has also supported the local Methodist Church - where the classes are currently held to raise funds for the Church.

Kevin Shakesheff MBE, 73-years-old, Hutton Rudby

Co-Founder, High Tide Foundation and President, Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers and Educational Fund. For services to Young People in Business and to the Maritime Industry

● He recognised a challenge for young people trying to enter the workforce in the Tees area and so Co-Founded the High Tide Foundation in 2012; an independent charitable foundation that delivers life changing career experiences for young people and increases awareness and engagement within the shipping sector and its supply chain.

● He has devoted much of his time working with the Foundation to delivering meaningful work experience and career programmes to better education for 6000 young people in the North East. High Tide now has over 100 business members who offer resources which are used to help young people gain experience within the world of work.

● This has provided young adults with career opportunities and a greater education within the shipping sector.

● In 1975, as the former Vice Chair of the ICS South Wales and the West Branch, he played a key role in creating an education school in Cardiff, which encouraged many local children and young adults to take their ICS exams.

● He moved to Tees and after various roles, including Branch Chair, on the ICS North East of England Branch, he became the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers Chair 2007-09.

● During his term as International Chair his main achievement was to grow student numbers and membership, in particular overseas, creating the foundations of a truly worldwide organisation based in London.

● He is also currently the Vice Chair, Mission To Seamans (North Tees and Hartlepool) who he has encouraged and guided to support seafarers during the challenging times of the pandemic.

● He has committed his time as an unpaid volunteer in the above organisations whilst being the previous Managing Director and now Chair of Casper Shipping a growing and successful port agency, logistics and marine services groups in the UK.

Mrs Jacqueline Savage MBE, 46-years-old, Stockton-on-Tees

Volunteer. For services to Social Care

● She has presented at both local and national conferences, prepared training sessions, shared her experiences, and has become a judge at the National Social Work Awards.

● She trained in social care and education and worked in children’s education, children’s social care and adult social care (ASC) for the last 30 years.

● She now personally draws on ASC and employs people to support her. She is committed to ensuring that people who access social care are fully involved in their care planning and are empowered to make their own individual choices.

● She has supported the local authority in the training of social workers, sharing her story and the impact that social care has had on her life in several workshops.

● She has presented at the National ADASS Conference, where she emphasised the importance of working with people with lived experience of care to produce care plans together.

● She has presented at the National Principal Social Work Conference, as well as working alongside universities and other training institutions to promote the importance of this co-production.

● She has a neurological condition, but rather than view this as something which prevents her from doing things, she draws on her experiences to assist in the development of staff so that people accessing ASC receive a high standard of care.

● She does this in her own time and has developed several training packs to support this staff training.

● On top of this, she has also assisted with interviewing staff to ensure people have the correct values.

● She has had an impact on numerous social workers and social care staff by sharing her very personal experiences in a positive and moving way, highlighting the importance and intrinsic reward of providing care. More recently contributing to DHSC Social Worker guidance on proportionate assessments

● As an independent employee, she was nominated for a Skills for Care Award, and shares her experiences as an employee to support others who are considering that journey for themselves.

David Wallace MBE, 67-years-old, Seaham

Senior Fleet Staff Engineer, Royal National Lifeboat Institution. For Voluntary Service to Maritime Safety

● He joined Seaham Lifeboat Station in 1973, 11 years after the Seaham lifeboat RNLB George Elmy capsized with the loss of five of its crew and four fishermen onboard in 1962.

● A young boy of 7 years old at the time, the memory of this disaster ripping through the heart of the community was his inspiration for a lifetime of service to the RNLI, initially as a volunteer and then a member of staff, for the past 50 years.

● Serving as a volunteer crewmember, mechanic and coxswain between 1973 and 1979, he became an apprentice lifeboat mechanic in 1976, going on to hold various roles as the institution evolved, including Deputy Division Engineer, responsible for all the RNLI’s launch and recovery vehicles in the north, and Senior Fleet Staff Engineer.

● With the launch of the Shannon class lifeboat in 2013, he was the natural choice to lead the trials, implementation and training for the heavy plant machinery which has revolutionised the way the RNLI saves lives.

● Throughout his career, he has volunteered with the East Durham Heritage Group which was instrumental in restoring RNLB George Elmy to her former glory.

● Such is the high esteem he is held in, the homecoming of RNLB George Elmy was planned around his availability and health - he bought her home in 2013, where she is now a popular attraction and a living memorial to those who tragically lost their lives in 1962.

● He will be retiring in May 2024, shortly after the RNLI’s 200th anniversary, as one of the charity’s longest-serving staff members.

David Walker MBE, 69 years-old, Bishop Auckland, County Durham

Chair of Trustees, Horizons Specialist Academy Trust. For services to Education

● He is a dedicated education professional with over 40 years of contributions to the sector, serving as a head in 3 different schools across the country, followed by 13 years as an Ofsted Inspector.

● He took up the Assistant Director post at Darlington Council in 2003, leading on school improvement and helping to establish the first children’s services department in Darlington.

● This led him to be an independent education consultant supporting local authorities with strategic development of children’s services.

● He has supported many boards and was recognised by the NGA as Outstanding Clerk of the Year in 2015.

● His commitment to improve governance saw him take up a national advisory role for DfE helping to develop both the Governance and Clerk Frameworks, which underpin governance standards for schools.

● Further impact of this is demonstrated through his contributions as interim chair for Brighter Academy Trust and chair of Horizons Specialist Academy Trust (HSAT).

● He is a valued chair at HSAT, a 6-academy specialist MAT where all academies are judged Good by Ofsted.

● Over his 3-year tenure, he has made real progress by identifying and implementing areas of improvement and developing strategic direction.

● His strong leadership and guidance to enhance governance has been instrumental to HSAT’s growth and his work as a trustee was recognised in a recent Ofsted MAT summary evaluation.

● At Brighter, he stepped in as chair to lead the board following the previous chair’s resignation.

● The trust had received a Notice to Improve (NtI) due to governance issues and breaches of the Academies Trust Handbook.

● He developed increased accountability at the trust, ultimately convincing trustees to resolve to join a strong MAT to secure an improved future for the children of Farringdon Academy in Sunderland.

Alice Elizabeth Ellis MBE (Alice Hartley), 43-years-old, Morpeth

Consultant Urologist, South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust. For services to the NHS

● She was Chair of the Trainees Committee within the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and spearheaded the campaign and programme to raise awareness of bullying and undermining in the workplace.

● She harnessed all the resources available to her from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh then expanded this across the UK to Trust Boards, Health Boards and, above all, the workforce.

● She developed online tool kits to help the victims of bad behaviour in the workplace but also developed an online questionnaire, ‘am I a bully?’ which has become the most visited page in the college’s website.

● She has worked closely with the National Guardian for the NHS Freedom to Speak Up and wrote a joint document which has been delivered to every Trust and Health Board in the UK.

● She brought together over 35 organisations to promote the sharing of best practice and resourcing, resulting in the production of a joint document outlining plans to tackle undermining and bullying in the workplace.

● The document was launched with a foreword written by Matt Hancock, then Secretary of State for Health, and has been delivered to all Health Boards in Scotland and Trust Boards in the United Kingdom.

● She organised three national meetings in Edinburgh, London and Belfast, attended by large numbers of clinicians and managers focussing on raising awareness of poor behaviours in the workplace. It has addressed the causes of undermining and bullying and the means to support those who have been affected by it.

● The learning modules which were developed for the General Medical Council have benefitted from her input and numerous other organisations have used her expertise to develop their online support service.

● The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh have recognised her extraordinary commitment to removing bullying in the workplace by making her the holder of the Hunter Doig Medal. She is the youngest recipient of this reward in the history of the College.

Patrick Chapman MBE, 60-years-old, Hexham

For services to the Creative Industries and to Higher Education

● He retired in June 2023 as Vice Principal at The Northern School of Art (NSoA), formerly Cleveland College of Art & Design.

● He was the driving force in changing the college’s name, preparing the case to the Secretary of State.

● He has been key in developing The Northern Studios, converting bus sheds into the most significant TV/Film studios from the M62 corridor to Scotland.

● He worked diligently with Screen Yorkshire and Northern Film & Media to drive forward the Studio project, an anchor element in the North East’s bid to secure BBC investment outside London.

● The Studios attract TV productions and jobs as part of his determined efforts to regenerate Hartlepool and bring employment to the region.

● His knowledge and advice made him a trusted advisor in development of The BIS in Hartlepool, a centre for business start-ups in the creative industries, working with NSoA as a catalyst for regeneration.

● He was instrumental in creating the North East Schools and Colleges Network of 500+ institutions. This network of art teachers led by NSoA gives free professional development and support.

● His innovation is shown in founding The Northern Festival of Illustration, a biennial showcase for illustrators. Supported by the Association of Illustrators it attracts world-renowned exhibitors such as Aardman Animation, Ralph Steadman, Gerald Scarfe and former Children’s Laureate Chris Riddell.

● His enthusiasm for developing creative talent is shown by the launch of The Northern Illustration Prize, attracting entries from six continents.

● Previously he was Director of Schools at the charity Creativity Culture & Education. Building a new team, his commitment delivered early progress on the flagship £40M pa Creative Partnerships programme funded by Arts Council England and government across over 2,000 schools.

● He is a valued member of the North Area Council for Arts Council England.

● He has been Chair of Trustees of the Sightlines Initiative, a national early years creative learning charity, and a trustee of Children North East.

Gwyneth Kathleen McKenzie MBE, 71-years-old, Riding Mill

For services to Young People and to the community in Northumberland, North Tyneside and Newcastle upon Tyne

● She has served in a voluntary capacity as a Leader in the Scout Association for 50 years.

● In 1987, after 11 years at commissioner level, she was appointed as Assistant County Commissioner in Northumberland.

● In 1988, after a short period of some twelve months, she was invited to take up the position of UK Commissioner for Cub Scouts. This key role gave her the considerable responsibility of developing the training section for some 250,000 8 -11 year- olds across the UK and Dependent Territories.

● The role entailed considerable travelling both in the UK and abroad encouraging leaders, delivering training and monitoring the success of the Cub Scout Programme.

● Within her period of tenure, which lasted a full five years until 1993, she led the review and redevelopment of the National Cub Scout Programmes.

● She was an advisory member of the Committee of the Council, then the governing body of the UK Scout Association.

● She was engaged at Assistant County Commissioner level with responsibility severally for Beaver Scout and Cub Scout sections and for Community Development. She was also active as acting District Commissioner for five Scout Districts in Northumberland, managing and maintaining those Districts until outgoing District Commissioners could be replaced.

● As Deputy County Commissioner, she had introduced and managed the County’s major development programmes, namely the Lindisfarne Project and LookwideUK, projects which she then continued and enhanced as County Commissioner

● She is a committed communicant of the Church of England and an active member of her home Parochial Church Council at St James’s Church Riding Mill.

● She has also been since 1998 a trustee of Together Newcastle, an affiliate of the Church Urban Fund which offers church-based community development at grassroots level, working in the most deprived communities.

Maurice Scott Weightman MBE, 78-years-old, Berwick upon Tweed

Founding Chair and Trustee, Berwick Youth Project. For services to Young People in Berwick-Upon-Tweed

● He was a teacher, and subsequently Deputy Head Teacher, in the local high school. After retiring from the school, he became a local councillor in 1995 and later a county councillor.

● He set up the Spittal Improvement Trust (SIT) in 1997 due to concerns from local residents that Spittal was becoming the forgotten part of Berwick.

● He was Chair of SIT in its formative years and an active committee member until 2007.

● During his time with SIT, in 2008 he began his work with helping the victims of the tsunami in Sri Lanka in December 2004, work he continues with to this day. He brought together the two seaside villages of Spittal and Weligama, which is on the southern tip of Sri Lanka and bore the brunt of the tsunami.

● He has also been a keen supporter of other groups and churches in Spittal, often doing marathon organ recitals in aid of their funds.

● Additionally, drawing on his experience as a teacher, community educator, local councillor and magistrate, he passionately believed there was a need for a supportive youth service in Berwick. He felt there were young people appearing in court that needed help and direction.

● He then pulled people together from the police, schools, Citizens’ Advice Bureau and Town Council, and persuaded them to join together as Trustees to form and develop a new charity, the Berwick Youth Project (BYP).

● He chaired BYP for the first ten years from 1995 to 2005, before becoming its Patron and life-long trustee, still continuing in an active role and barely missing a meeting.

● He was also involved with the Bellingham International Camp which he attended as a student.

● He has been a church organist at many churches since he was 15 years old.

Jack Robert Clarke Deverson MBE, 31-years-old, Houghton-le-Spring

Co-Founder and Managing Director, Evidence Based Education. For services to Education

● He co-founded the Sunderland-based teacher development organisation ‘Evidence Based Education’ (EBE) in July 2015.

● Within 2 years, EBE was inundated with requests for training not just in the North-East of England, but across the UK and as far afield as China.

● Since then, 20 jobs have been created, 2 apprenticeships completed, and more than 10,000 teachers across England and around the world have developed their pedagogical knowledge and skill from the EBE’s courses and tools.

● In 2019 his development of EBE was recognised with a Queen’s Award for Enterprise (Innovation).

● He was a finalist for the Institute of Directors’ NE & Yorkshire Director of the Year Awards and in 2022 won an Innovation and Technology Award at the Northeast Business Awards and the GBEA Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

● As the COVID-19 pandemic started, he instantly reacted to the urgent and increased demand that teachers had for accessible remote Continuing Professional Development and expert guidance.

● He fast-tracked the development of EBE’s online Great Teaching Toolkit, and within 6 months, 8 new training courses and feedback tools were created, allowing teachers to receive high quality training at school or at home.

● Since 2021, he has mentored 3 entrepreneurs of EdTech start-ups - two which have seen early flourishing impacts on the sector.

● He volunteers as a tutor for the Access Project, supporting and guiding disadvantaged pupils to access top universities, and as a Business Enterprise Adviser for a Sunderland school, supporting pathways into industry as part of the Local Enterprise Partnership’s North-East Ambition Programme.

● In 2022, following a ‘requires improvement’ inspection in a local school, he designed and runs a weekly Mandarin club to assist the school and engage KS3 pupils with the language and culture of China.

Nigel Gavin Begg MBE, 52-years-old, South Tyneside

Founder, Aspire Technology Solutions. For services to Digital and Technology Industry Growth in Northeast England

● He is the founder and developer of a technology platform (Aspire Technology Solutions) that enables businesses to intelligently predict potential threats and uses built in automated responses to take action to pre-empt and protect clients from business impacting events.

● Entirely developed in house in the UK it remains a market leading solution today. In less than 15 years Aspire has grown consistently and exponentially from a two-man business into one that is now worth over £100m and was crowned Northeast Company of the Year in 2020.

● Today Aspire services 1500+ clients and boasts a 98% retention rate, which is world class.

● Passionate about the Northeast, he attributes much of Aspire’s success to the local people he has recruited, mentored and developed.

● He has created more than 250 high quality jobs including over 100 apprenticeships to bridge the skills gap and increase opportunities in the region.

● He has also mentored a number of successful young entrepreneurs in the Sector.

Lesley Robinson MBE, 69-years-old, Whitley Bay

For services to Education

● First Class Supply is the North East’s fastest growing, and now one of the largest, independent supply teaching agencies.

● She has invested significant time and resource upskilling to supply teachers by providing free training courses.

● First Class Supply now have a teacher database of over 3000 who work across the North East.

● She and her company’s success has also been recognised with awards for the Investor in People and Recruitment and Employment Confederation quality mark after only 2 years in business.

● Through partnerships with various charities, she supports local schools and communities in deprived areas to bring new opportunities to the area. She worked with Seven Stories, the national centre for children’s books, to improve children’s access to books, helping donate 100s of books to local schools.

● Through her support for the independent charities, Newcastle United Foundation and Newcastle Rugby, she has engaged thousands of children and families making sport accessible.

● She has also sponsored several schools to pay for 500 piggy banks and offer Credit Union Banks. This savings scheme is designed to get school children into the habit of saving and learn financial responsibility at a young age.

Lawrence O'Halleron MBE, 71-years-old, Gateshead

Chair, Big Local Gateshead. For services to the community in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear

● For the past eight years, he has been the volunteer chair of Big Local Gateshead, devoting his time and efforts to helping improve the lives of his fellow residents in two socially and economically deprived housing estates in Bensham, where he has lived for more than 50 years.

● In his voluntary work with those most in need in his area, he uses a range of people skills developed over his career as a captain in the army, a foster carer for 30 years and a social worker who specialises in helping young people.

● Recognising the lack of provision for children, young people and families in the area, his Big Local work began in four local schools with a public art project that galvanised children, won council support and acclaim, and transformed a piece of derelict land.

● Under his leadership, Big Local Gateshead has gone on to open a community shop to assist local people who are struggling financially.

● He personally negotiated donations of free food from two local supermarkets, which he also regularly collects. The shop serves around 60 people each week, many of whom struggled during the pandemic.

● He started the residents’ membership scheme during lockdown which helped to connect a community with high rates of unemployment, mental health problems and suicide.

● A weekly newsletter offered a weekly prize draw for £300 in vouchers, while also mobilising interest in and support for Big Local’s community-based initiatives among the 500-plus people who signed up.

● These initiatives have included his spearheading the creation of a community allotment, which he secured at no cost and spent a year himself working on to bring to a state of readiness.

● He developed a mutually beneficial relationship with a local architect firm, which saw architecture students at nearby universities help to design the wooden classroom that now stands on the allotment.

● He has addressed the challenges around mental health by helping to start a local bike club. Although not a cyclist when the Teams Wheelers held its first meeting four years ago, he now leads three rides and covers 90-plus miles each week.

● Recently, he negotiated the free use of a building for the club, which now has more than 50 members.

King's Police Medal

A life-saving detective has been honoured by His Majesty The King for her tireless work to bring positive change from tragedy.

Detective Constable Natalie Horner, of Durham Constabulary’s Roads and Armed Policing unit, has been recognised with the King’s Police Medal in the New Year’s Honours List published today.

The officer led the investigation into a crash on the A1(M) at Bowburn in County Durham in July 2021 which claimed three lives when a lorry driver ploughed into a queue of traffic while using his mobile phone at the wheel.

Not only did she secure a court conviction for the driver responsible, she has since relentlessly campaigned to bring positive change from the tragedy, overseeing the production of an emotional and effective video to persuade drivers to put down their mobile phones while behind the wheel.

She said: “The roads claim lives daily. It’s about more than convicting offenders; it’s about making our roads safer nationally. I want everyone in the UK to feel safe.”

She was nominated for the honour for her positive approach, her drive to help others and her total dedication to the community which shine through in everything she does, whether it's supporting families devastated by the loss of a loved one or teaching other officers best practices.

Chief Constable Rachel Bacon, of Durham Constabulary, said: "This is a thoroughly well-deserved honour for Detective Constable Horner.

“I am immensely proud of the amazing work that Nat and her colleagues have done to make people safer on our roads and I have no doubt their forward-thinking campaigns have helped to save lives.

“She exemplifies the very best of Durham Constabulary: a willingness to put victims first and a genuine desire to make a real difference to real people”.

DC Horner has made it her mission to reduce road deaths by educating drivers about the consequences of their behaviour.

“I’m overwhelmed and immensely grateful to receive this honour,” she said. “It’s a proud and emotional moment I’ll never forget in my career.”

DC Natalie Horner

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