Over 1,000 people from across the UK have received honours in HM The King’s Birthday Honours List 2024, published today by the Cabinet Office.
The focus of this List is individuals who have had an immeasurable impact on the lives of people across the country – such as by creating innovative solutions or driving real change in public life.
Many are active community champions, innovative social entrepreneurs, pioneering scientists, passionate health workers and dedicated volunteers.
Alan Bates, founder of Justice for Subpostmasters Alliance, receives a Knighthood for services to justice. Tracey Emin receives an DBE for services to art, as does Imelda Staunton for services to drama and to charity.
The youngest recipient in the List is Shamza Butt, who is 20 years old and receives a BEM for her work as a Member of the National Citizens’ Service Trust Youth Voice Forum. Harold Jones is the oldest recipient, who at 100 years old receives a BEM for his fundraising for charities relating to Motor Neurone Disease and the community in Sutton Coldfield.
Innovators and change makers
Michael Palmer, Andrew Airey and Timothy Owen, who founded the 3 Dads Walking campaign after losing their young daughters to suicide, each receive an MBE for services to the prevention of young suicide. The three dads have walked all across the UK to raise awareness of suicide in young people and raise funds for charity Papyrus UK.
Eight people are recognised for their contributions to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), which celebrates its 200th anniversary this year. Angus Heddle from the Orkney Islands receives an MBE for 73 years of voluntary service to the RNLI, and David Nicoll from Cornwall receives a BEM for his 43 years of service, having started volunteering at the age of 18.
Clodagh Dunlop from Northern Ireland receives an MBE for services to stroke survivors and the reform of stroke services. In 2015 Clodagh suffered from a brain stem stroke, leaving her with locked in syndrome. She has made an incredible recovery over recent years and has returned to work as a serving detective. She is a Stroke Association ambassador and has educated and inspired many stroke survivors in the UK and worldwide.
Patrick and Karen McCourt from Larne, County Antrim, both receive BEMs for services to foster care in Northern Ireland. Both over 70 years old, together they have fostered more than 331 children in the last 45 years.
Rebecca Redfern from Droitwich receives an MBE for her services to young people and to the community in Worcestershire. She was diagnosed aged 7 with Retinitis Pigmentosa, and at the age of 14 was discovered as a para swimmer by British Swimming. She has since won medals at the 2016 and 2021 Olympics as a GB paralympic swimmer and has visited hundreds of schools throughout Worcestershire speaking to children about overcoming obstacles to achieve success.
Deborah Pezzani from Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, receives a BEM for services to teenagers and young adults with cancer. In 2007, she set up Teens Unite to bring together young people aged 13-24 who are living with cancer. The charity hosts over 100 beneficiary activities and events annually, has almost 100 volunteers and has raised just over £1 million.
Sally Bourton receives a BEM for services to the community in Cornwall. She is the Postmistress for Trewoon and has been at the heart of her community for 24 years. She runs her Post Office alongside local fundraising activities and, during the pandemic, she was instrumental in rallying local volunteers who were willing to help the community. For the Coronation of HM King Charles, she organised for every child in the village to receive a mint coin with The King’s head on it.
Dean Jackson from Derbyshire receives an MBE for services to business and innovation through setting up his own wetsuit company, HUUB. This first came about in 2011 when Dean noticed a gap in the market after seeing little advancement in wetsuit design and performance. HUUB has since expanded its products into cycling gear as well, and is now worn by many of the world’s top athletes, including the Brownlee brothers.
Alison Baverstock from Kingston upon Thames receives an MBE for charitable services to families in the British Armed Forces community. She created the charity Reading Force in 2011, developing a scheme that supports parents in the military read with their children while on deployment or during training. The scope of the scheme has since expanded across the whole of the UK as well as UK Armed Forces overseas. To date, over 250,000 people have requested reading scrapbooks or received reading books, improving children’s reading ability.
Anyone can freely nominate someone for an honour.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
The honours system strives to be inclusive of all of the UK society. Of the 1,077 people who receive an award:
- 948 candidates have been selected at BEM, MBE and OBE level:
- 300 at BEM
- 425 at MBE
- 223 at OBE- 692 (64%) of the recipients are people who have undertaken outstanding work in their communities either in a voluntary or paid capacity;
- 713 (66%) of the recipients live outside of London and the South East
- 509 women are recognised in the List, representing 48% of the total:
- 40% of recipients at CBE level and above are women;
- 10% of the successful candidates come from an ethnic minority background:
- 4.6% of recipients are from an Asian ethnic group;
- 3% of recipients are from a black ethnic group;
- 1.6% of recipients with a mixed ethnic background;
- 0.4% of recipients come from another ethnic background;
The full Birthday Honours List 2024 on gov.uk.
Cabinet Office Press Office 70 Whitehall LONDON SW1A 2AS