King's Birthday Honours list 2024: Full list of the incredible people from Greater Manchester and Cheshire recognised

Scores of unsung heroes from across Greater Manchester have been recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours.

His Majesty’s inaugural birthday honours list features a host of incredible people whose tireless work is the very best of what the country has to offer.

A former Corrie star, GMP investigators, dedicated mechanics, scientific marvels and outstanding patient champions are among those who have been celebrated for their work in the region.

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Campaigners who have fought for a better quality of life for their communities have also been recognised. This includes Pauline Binns-Tulloch, whose award-winning community complex Limelight, which serves as a health and wellbeing hub for the elderly and vulnerable, has seen her honoured with an MBE.

This year over 97 people across the North West have been given an honour. Some 9.2 per cent of the recipients are people from the North West this year.

Lead singer of Manchester band M People, Heather Small and former Corrie star Shobna Gulati, from Oldham, are just some of the famous faces named.

Also receiving an honour is former headteacher and now Chief Executive of the Trust, Neville Lewis Beischer, who has dedicated over 22 years of his life to Wright Robinson College.

Neville has been awarded an MBE for services to education along with a list of previous awards for helping transform the struggling inner-city school in Gorton (one of the poorest areas of the country) into one of the largest and most successful state-funded secondary schools in the country.

In 2014, he even intervened as the college’s school-based police officer was attacked in the main reception area - where he helped restrain the assailant until more police arrived. This act was recognised by Greater Manchester Police with the presentation of a bravery award.

Talking about the incident, he said: “I didn’t think twice. My first instinct was to protect the police officer. Wright Robinson has been a huge part of my life and I wasn’t going to let anyone come in and just spoil it.”

Receiving the honour, Neville said that his life and dream of being a teacher was ‘planned out’. Originally from London, the inner-city man says the school and Manchester itself have ‘felt like home’ to him.

“It’s been very rewarding. The staff, parents and children are very supportive…salt of the earth actually.

“What I have to emphasise is that you can’t change a school on its own. The staff have been completely brilliant and incredibly hard-working. The most important job was to change the culture of the school and the rest fell into place. The students are fantastic and have self-belief. It’s the students themselves that have kept me going for so long.”

Robert Ashworth, 70, a civilian investigator for GMP, whose dedication to tackling the most tenuous lines of organised crime to bring offenders to justice, has been awarded a BEM.

He recently supported three investigations which resulted in defendants receiving almost 100 years imprisonment, over 20 kilos of Class A drugs recovered and over £100k in seized cash assets, with further asset recovery to come.

Robert has often maintained contact with victims, paying particular attention to the elderly or people living alone, alerting local services and other authorities to help them - he even managed to get a jeweller to make a replica ring for an elderly lady with dementia whose wedding ring had been forcibly removed during a robbery.

Talking to the MEN, he said: “I feel extremely humble and very privileged to be a recipient of this award from His Majesty the King. I have been very fortunate to have served the public during my time as a member of Greater Manchester Police.

“It’s been an honour to have been able to work with many fine dedicated friends and colleagues, and at the same time, having been tremendously supported by my wife and my family who without their love and support my career in GMP would not have been possible. I thank you all for being part of the journey.”

Sue Ashby, chair of the homelessness charity, Stepping Stone Projects, has also been awarded an MBE for her service to the community and leadership in the charity sector.

When Sue joined the charity, which helps provide quality accommodation and support to vulnerable individuals, it had 38 supported homes. But under Sue’s leadership, Stepping Stones Project has expanded to become one of the largest homelessness charities in the North West, providing 800 homes across the region.

Receiving the honour, Sue said: "I am deeply honoured to receive this recognition. While this is an individual award, our achievements over the years have truly been a team effort and a result of the hard work and commitment of everyone at Stepping Stone Projects.

"It has been a privilege to work alongside such dedicated staff and trustees, and to witness the positive impact we have on the lives of so many as we have grown as an organisation.”

Ernest Feargrieve, 59, from Rochdale, has worked as a race mechanic for the Great Britain Cycling Team for over 25 years and has been awarded a BEM for services to cycling.

In the team, he has been a mechanic to every single British world and Olympic track cycling medallist since 2008, including sporting legends Victoria Pendleton CBE, Sir Bradley Wiggins, Sir Chris Hoy, Dame Laura Kenny and more.

He’s attended an impressive six Olympic Games, one Paralympic Games, seven Commonwealth Games and 48 world championships, supporting Olympic and Paralympic track and road riders.

Jacqui Belfield-Smith, who is Stockport's Head of Youth Justice and has been with the council in her role for nearly 20 years was awarded an MBE for services to Youth Justice.

In addition to her role at the authority, she is Chair of the Association of Youth Offending Team Managers in England, which represents over 90% of the Youth Justice Services across the country.

She has a strong commitment to improving the lives of children at risk of coming into contact with the criminal justice system and to furthering the recognition of the youth justice sector in achieving such improvements.

Jacqui said: "It's a privilege and an honour to receive this accolade. It was completely unexpected and I'm thrilled to accept it on behalf of myself and the many colleagues I've worked alongside throughout my career, helping to support children and young people at risk of entering the criminal justice system."

The Director of the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester has also been awarded an OBE for her services to the arts and heritage.

Sally MacDonald, who grew up in Withington, Manchester, has led the museum for the last ten years, securing over £40m to date to spearhead the repair and regeneration of its globally significant site for everyone who lives in and visits the city.

She said: “It’s a great recognition of the wonderful work of everyone at the museum and all our partners across the city and beyond.

“We are all passionate about the role that museums and heritage can play in inspiring the next generation of innovators and creating opportunities for young people to realise the future ideas that will change the world.”

Here is the full list of recipients from Cheshire and Greater Manchester:

Commanders of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)

• Jennifer Daly, Chief Executive, Taylor Wimpey for services to Business and to the Housing Sector. (Northwich, Cheshire)

• Professor Paul John Arton Howarth, Chief Executive Officer, National Nuclear Laboratory, for services to the Energy Sector. (Crewe, Cheshire)

• Martin Leslie Sim, lately Deputy Further Education Commissioner, for services to Further Education. (Warrington, Cheshire)

Officers of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)

• Shalni Arora, founder Trustee, Belong and Founder, of Savannah Wisdom Charitable Foundation, for services to Charity and to Philanthropy. (Manchester, Greater Manchester)

• Karen Elaine Bramwell, Chief Executive Officer, Forward As One Church of England Multi-Academy Trust, Bolton. For services to Education. (Bolton, Greater Manchester)

• Dr Jeanelle Louise De Gruchy, lately President, Association of Directors of Public Health and Chair, Greater Manchester Directors of Public Health. For services to Public Health. (Manchester, Greater Manchester)

• Professor Paul Edward Klapper, Professor of Clinical Virology, University of Manchester. For services to Viral Diagnostic Testing. (Stockport, Greater Manchester)

• Simon David Lewis, Senior Manager, Department for Work and Pensions. For services to Capability and Learning. (Bolton, Greater Manchester)

• Sally MacDonald, Director of the Science and Industry Museum. For services to the Arts and to Heritage. (Manchester, Greater Manchester)

• Joanna Jane Carrington (Joanna Wallace), Independent Case Examiner, Department for Work and Pensions. For Public Service. (Knutsford, Cheshire)

• Professor Ian Melvyn Hall. Professor of Mathematical Epidemiology and Statistics, University of Manchester and Senior Principal Modeller, UK Health Security Agency. For services to Public Health, to Epidemiology and to Adult Social Care, particularly during Covid-19. (Stockport, Greater Manchester)

• Michael Andrew Rhys Hawes. Chief Executive Officer, Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. For services to the Automotive Industry. (Nantwich, Cheshire)

• Professor Richard Wakeford. Professor of Epidemiology, Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health, University of Manchester. For services to the Advancement of the Science of Radiation Protection. (Wilmslow, Cheshire)

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

Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)

• Halima Hashim Atcha. Diversity and Inclusion Lead, North West and North Central, Work and Health Service, Department for Work and Pensions. For services to Diversity and Inclusion. (Bolton, Greater Manchester)

• Neville Lewis Beischer. Chief Executive Officer, Flagship Learning Trust, Manchester. For services to Education. (Stockport, Greater Manchester)

• Jacqui Karen Belfield-Smith. Head, Youth Justice and Targeted Youth Services, Stockport Council and Chair, Association of Youth Offending Team Managers. For services to Youth Justice. (Stockport, Greater Manchester)

• Pauline Marie Binns-Tulloch. For services to the community in Greater Manchester. (Manchester, Greater Manchester)

• Deborah Marie Brown. Executive Director, Service Reform, Salford City Council. For services to Local Government. (Stockport, Greater Manchester)

• Elva Brown. Lately Driving Examiner, Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency. For services to Road Safety. (Cheadle, Greater Manchester)

• Paula Durrans. Head, Security, Great Western Railway. For services to the Railway. (Ashton-Under-Lyne, Greater Manchester)

• Isaac Ginsbury. Chief Executive, Jewel Foundation. For services to the community in Greater Manchester and to Faith and Integration. (Prestwich, Greater Manchester)

• Dr Shobna Gulati DL. Actor, Writer and Dancer. For services to the Cultural Industries. (Oldham, Greater Manchester)

• Paul Alexander Harvey. Immigration Officer, Home Office. For services to the Home Office Veterans Network. (Bury, Greater Manchester)

• Furqan Naeem. Founding Organiser, Greater Manchester Citizens. For services to Inter-Faith Relations and to the community in Greater Manchester. (Manchester, Greater Manchester)

• The Reverend Charles John Nevin. Trustee, The Laurus Trust, Cheadle, Cheshire. For services to Education. (Manchester, Greater Manchester)

• Edwina Victoria Rosenberg. For voluntary services to Young People in Long Term Care and to the community in Bury, Greater Manchester. (Manchester, Greater Manchester)

• Sarah Louise Van Der Merwe. Head, Apprenticeships, The Learning Enterprise, HCRG Care Group, Greater Manchester. For services to Further Education and Skills. (Bury, Greater Manchester)

• Jayne Acton. Qualified Social Worker, Wigan Council. For services to Children and Families. (Warrington, Cheshire)

• Professor Elizabeth Anne Clewett Brierley (Elizabeth Price). Deputy Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Sustainability, Manchester Metropolitan University. For services to Sustainability Education. (Macclesfield, Cheshire)

• Diane Elizabeth Clark. Chief Executive Officer, Passion for Learning, Ellesmere Port, Cheshire. For services to Education. (Chester, Cheshire)

• Emma Jane Degg. Chief Executive, North West Business Leadership Team. For services to Business and to the community in North West England. (Chester, Cheshire)

• Cheryl Foster. Referee, Football Association of Wales. For services to Association Football and to Women's Sport. (Chester, Cheshire)

• Laura Jeuda. Lately Councillor, Cheshire East Council. For services to Local Government. (Macclesfield, Cheshire)

• Maria Sarkar. Co-Founder and Vice-President of DriveWorks. For services to Manufacturing. (Warrington, Cheshire)

• Philip John Speight. Canal Boat Painter. For services to Heritage Crafts. (Macclesfield, Cheshire)

• Helen Elizabeth Tonks. Founder and Director, Hydraulics Online Ltd. For services to Business and to Exports. (Alsager, Cheshire)

Medallists of the Order of the British Empire (BEM)

• Robert Lindsay Salmond Ashworth. Civilian Investigator, Greater Manchester Police. For Public Service. (Greater Manchester)

• Roman Leslie Bodnarec. Volunteer, Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain. For services to Refugee Resettlement. (Whitefield, Greater Manchester)

• Robert David Chew. Firefighter, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service. For services to the community in Littleborough, Greater Manchester. (Littleborough, Greater Manchester)

• Ernest Feargrieve. Lead Race Mechanic, Great British Cycling Team. For services to Cycling. (Rochdale, Greater Manchester)

• Marie Lyon. Chair, The Association for Children Damaged by Hormone Pregnancy Tests. For services to Advocating for Scientific Research and Improving Patient Safety for Women. (Wigan, Greater Manchester)

• Brian Madden. For services to the community in Oldham, Greater Manchester. (Oldham, Greater Manchester)

• Dr Amrik Singh Mahal. Global Head of IT for Research, AstraZeneca. For services to Science and the Covid-19 Response. (Stockport, Greater Manchester)

• Isabel Christine Taylor. Committee Member, City of Manchester Fundraising Branch, Royal National Lifeboat Institution. For voluntary services to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. (Stockport, Greater Manchester)

• Valerie Elaine Bryant. Manager and Trustee, Knutsford Heritage Centre. For services to Heritage and to the community in Knutsford, Cheshire. (Knutsford, Cheshire)

• Ann Charlton. For services to the community in Kingsway, Chester. (Chester, Cheshire)

• Ann Doyle. Technical Specialist, Environment Agency. For services to Water Regulation and to the community in Warrington. (Warrington, Cheshire)

• Valerie Woodward. For services to the community in Burtonwood, Cheshire. (Warrington, Cheshire)

KNIGHTS BACHELOR

Born in Stockport - Professor Wayne McGregor CBE. Choreographer. For services to Dance. (London, London)

All of those named are either from Greater Manchester or have a link to the area, but we have included their current places of residence.

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