In tribute to The Queen, recipients have been awarded for their outstanding contributions across all sectors, but in particular for sustained public service, the environment and sustainability, and youth engagement.
Joining The Queen with 70 years of public service are recipients Angela Redgrave, founder and Principal of the Bristol School of Dancing, who receives a BEM for services to Dance – and at 104 years old is the oldest person on the List – and 80 year old Patricia Anne Husselbee from Newport for her 64 years of service to the Royal British Legion.
The Jubilee Honours List also recognises the contribution made to youth engagement, as typified by 11 year old twins Elena and Ruben Evans-Guillen, who receive BEMs for raising nearly £50,000 directly for the NHS and NHS-related charities over the past three years, and who are the youngest recipients on the List. Also among the youngest recipients is 22 year old Alex Griffiths, who receives a BEM for supporting carers, having been a young carer himself since the age of 5.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said:
This historic Platinum Jubilee is not only a celebration of the monarch but of the qualities she possesses. The honours she confers this week reflect many of those qualities that have been invaluable from all different walks of life and to communities across the UK.
I pay tribute to all of this year’s winners. Their stories of courage and compassion are an inspiration to us all.
This List also awards three Companions of Honour – of which there are only 65 recipients at any time – to author Sir Salman Rushdie, for his services to literature; Sir Quentin Blake, for services to his illustration; and Dame Marina Warner, for her services to the humanities.
Global expert in nuclear engineering, Dame Susan Ion, receives a Dame Grand Cross for international impact in her field and for her work fostering the next generation of engineers from under-represented groups.
In environmentalism and climate change, at CBE there is an award for Professor James Durrant, for services to photochemistry and solar energy research; an OBE for Professor John Barrett, Professor of Energy and Climate Policy at the University of Leeds; and at MBE, Dr Richard Tipper for his services to science and the public understanding of climate change.
Journalist and campaigner Alexis Bowater receives an OBE for her work to erect a statue to Nancy Astor in Plymouth on the centenary of her election, her activism on new stalking laws in the UK and her award-winning community interest company, Beach Schools South West, which takes children out of the classroom and onto the beach for curriculum-linked learning.
Awards for Parliamentary and political service are headed by Arlene Foster, the former First Minister of Northern Ireland, who receives a damehood; while Tracey Crouch MP receives a CBE for her work on the Independent Fan Led Review of Football Governance. They are joined by Stuart Parker and Samantha Dixon, Conservative and Labour Councillors in Cheshire who worked together to open Chester’s Storyhouse Theatre.
In sport, former footballer and commentator Rio Ferdinand receives an OBE for his activism and charity work; and an OBE is also awarded to cricketer Moeen Ali. There are also MBEs for the gold-medal winning Beijing Olympic curlers Mili Smith, Victoria Wright, Hailey Duff and Jennifer Dodds with skip Eve Muirhead receiving an OBE; and MBEs for gold-medal winning Beijing Paralympic super-G skier Neil Simpson and his guide (and brother) Andrew Simpson. Welsh International footballer Gareth Bale receives an MBE for services to football and charity, alongside James Milner for the great work his foundation undertakes.
Scottish businessmen James Walker, of the Walkers Shortbread Ltd headquartered in Moray, and Balmoral Group chairman Jimmy Milne, in Aberdeenshire, both received knighthoods for their business and charitable contributions. Damehoods are awarded to Ann Limb, for her role as chair of The Scout Association and the UK Innovation Corridor, and Karen Jones, for services to the business and hospitality sectors.
Ian Rankin receives a knighthood for services to literature and charity and actor Damian Lewis receives a CBE for services to drama and charity for initiating the campaign to raise £1 million to provide food for NHS workers throughout Covid-19. Also, from the Arts sector, an MBE is given to Chila Kumari Burman for her uplifting installations during the pandemic.
As ever, community service is the bulk and backbone of the List, and breadth of service is recognised across the entirety of the UK. There are CBEs for Una Cleminson, Chair of the Royal British Legion, and Lawrie Haynes, Chair of the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund for their support of military veterans; and OBEs for Dr Rupert Whitaker and Martyn Butler, who co-founded the Terrence Higgins Trust, which marks its 40th anniversary this year. There is also an OBE for Dr Raghib Ali, who took leave from his university work and volunteered to return, unpaid, to frontline NHS duties – both at his local hospital and the newly formed Nightingales.
Receiving MBEs are genocide educator Andrew Lawrence; master wheelwright Gregory Rowland, Cotswolds environmental volunteer Rebecca Jones and Angela Chada for her support of young people in NI through Springboard Opportunities. Also receiving an MBE is Douglas Samuel who runs the Spartans Community Football Academy and during COVID-19 transformed the Academy into a food distribution hub.
The honours system strives to be inclusive of all of the UK society.
Of the 1,134 people who receive an award:
- 1,002 candidates have been selected at BEM, MBE and OBE level:
- 304 at BEM
- 452 at MBE
- 246 at OBE
- 673 (59.3%) of the recipients are people who have undertaken outstanding work in their communities either in a voluntary or paid capacity;
- 584 women are recognised in the List, representing 51.5% of the total (44.8%of recipients at CBE level and above are women);
- 13.3% of the successful candidates come from an ethnic minority background:
- 6.8% of recipients are from an Asian ethnic group;
- 4.3% of recipients are from a black ethnic group;
- 1.8% of recipients with a mixed ethnic background;
- 0.4% of recipients come from another ethnic background;
- 9.3% of the successful candidates are disabled or have a long-term health condition;
- 24.3% of recipients considered themselves to come from a lower socio-economic background; and
- 4.6% of recipients are LGBT.
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