King's birthday honours list 2024: Every Lancashire person to get a gong

It only happens twice a year, but the King has released his honours list - and there's a lot of Lancashire folk included.

This time round, it's the King's Birthday Honours list which has been announced for individuals who have achieved great things in their respective fields. King Charles III's official birthday is Saturday, June 15 in Britain, chosen to coincide with the higher probability of warmer weather for celebrations to ensue.

Although the warm weather doesn't seem to have arrived for most of us in the country, we can still celebrate some of the remarkable achievements from people on this year's honours list. In Lancashire, this includes the Blackpool council leader Lynn Williams who has been awarded an MBE.

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The title recognises her work as the first female leader of Blackpool Council, with spearheading the town's ambitious plans for regeneration and securing hundreds of millions of pounds in Levelling Up funding. Coun Williams said: “I am very proud on behalf of the town and I want it to be for the people who are doing such good things in Blackpool. Not just within the council, but in the voluntary and private sector.

“It’s a combined effort by people working very hard for the town we love so much. The plans for regeneration have been in place before my time, but it has ramped up recently with funding for initiatives such as housing intervention.

“We have to work with government and it is incumbent upon me, as council leader, to get the best for our town and our people. It’s not enough just having a great vision. It is about showing you are doing it for the right reason and that you can deliver.”

Blackpool has received nearly £250m of new funding to turbo-charge regeneration with investment in jobs, education and housing, Coun Williams, who works locally as a solicitor and has two daughters Rosalyn and Grace with her partner Patrick, added she also took personal pride in the honour.

She said: “My political career was ignited by my own daughter complaining that there was nothing much for young people to do here. By standing as a councillor and subsequently being appointed as leader, I have been fortunate enough to help influence the opportunities, facilities and life chances for our young people.

“They represent the future of our wonderful town, I am proud to be able to champion better outcomes for them, their families and all our residents.” Coun Williams has represented Claremont since being elected in 2015 and became the town’s first female council leader in 2020.

She has also helped shape improvements to Children’s Services, headed a review of youth services and led on the It Stops Here campaign to tackle abuse. She was also a founder member of the Magic Club which is now a hub for 400 young people in Claremont, and has been a volunteer for the Citizens Advice Bureau for 30 years.

Here's the full list of honours given to people from Lancashire:

Officers of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)

Peter Vincent Dyer. President, British Dental Association. For services to Dentistry, to Medicine and to the communities of Silverdale and Lancaster. (Carnforth, Lancashire)

John Gerard Heffernan. Managing Director, Fern Innovation Ltd. For services to Business and to Technology. (Nelson, Lancashire)

Sharon Jane Kemp. Chief Executive, Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council. For services to Business and to the community in Rotherham, South Yorkshire. (Lancaster, Lancashire)

Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)

Susan Veronica Ashby. Chair and Trustee, Stepping Stone Projects. For services to Homeless and Vulnerable People in Rochdale, Greater Manchester. (Rossendale, Lancashire)

Saima Ashraf. Senior Finance Auditor, Merseyside Police. For services to Policing. (Blackburn, Lancashire)

Ernest Benbow. For services to the NHS, to Mental Health in Sport and to Education in St. Helens, Merseyside. (Prescot, Lancashire)

Alistair Bradley. Executive Leader, chorley-council>Chorley Council. For Political and Public Service. (Chorley, Lancashire)

David Canning. Head, Digital Knowledge and Information Management, Cabinet Office. For services to Innovation in Knowledge and Information Management. (Lancaster, Lancashire)

Bharati Dwarampudi. Advanced Customer Support Senior Leader, Department for Work and Pensions. For Public Service. (Preston, Lancashire)

Joanne Kathryn Fitzgerald. Senior Programme Manager, NHS England. For services to the NHS. (Clitheroe, Lancashire)

Helen Rebecca Gould. Founder, LPM Dance Company. For charitable services to People with Parkinson's. (Lancaster, Lancashire)

Denise Harrison. Head, Health and Safety, First Bus. For services to the Bus Industry. (Rossendale, Lancashire)

Frederick Higham. Volunteer, Angling Environmental Groups. For services to Protecting and Improving the Ribble Catchment. (Clitheroe, Lancashire)

Nigel Lund. Lately North West Prevent Coordinator, Department for Education. For services to Education and to Policing. (Burnley, Lancashire)

Shiraz Master. Founder and Managing Director, Simply Doughnuts. For services to the Promotion of Food and Drink, to Business and to Philanthropy. (Blackburn, Lancashire)

Sarah Randall-Paley. Director of Finance, University of Lancaster. For services to Higher Education. (Carnforth, Lancashire)

Eleanor Jane Watts. Area Manager, The Riverside Group. For services to Tackling Homelessness. (Leyland, Lancashire)

Wayne Anthony Wild. Chair, Darwen Town Deal, and Chair and Trustee, Blackburn and Darwen Youth Zone. For services to Young People and to the community in Darwen, Lancashire. (Blackburn, Lancashire)

Lynn Suzanne Williams. Councillor and Leader, Blackpool Council. For services to Local Government. (Blackpool, Lancashire)

Medallists of the Order of the British Empire (BEM)

Jean Bolton. Volunteer, Chorley's Angels. For services to the community in Lancashire. (Chorley, Lancashire)

Lee Duerden. Philanthropist. For charitable services to the community in Pendle, Lancashire. (Colne, Lancashire)

Eileen Mary Evans. For services to the Protection of Cats in Lancashire. (Morecambe, Lancashire)

Dorothy May Ford. For services in the community in Cleveleys, Lancashire. (Thornton Cleveleys, Lancashire)

Michael Paul Gauntlett. For services to Charity and to the community in Pendle, Lancashire. (Colne, Lancashire)

Jason William Oldfield. For services to the Kirkham and Wesham Cricket Club, Preston, Lancashire. (Preston, Lancashire)

Jane Rosemary Phythian. For services to Schools and to Education in Lancashire. (Leyland, Lancashire)