Fundraisers & community champions recognised in Queen’s Birthday Honours List
Melanie May | 12 October 2020 | News
Frontline workers, fundraisers and other community champions have dominated this year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours List, published on 10 October.
While the majority of the Queen’s Birthday Honours List was compiled before the pandemic struck, the List was deferred in order to consider nominations for people playing crucial roles during the first months of the pandemic effort.
As such, the Queen’s Birthday Honours List 2020 recognise the outstanding achievements of people across the UK, with 1,495 people receiving an award this year, and 1,069 (72%) of the recipients people who have undertaken outstanding work in their communities either in a voluntary or paid capacity.
Advertisement
This reflects the huge voluntary effort across the country in response to Covid-19, with recipients cumulatively supplying millions of free meals to those shielding, delivering care packages to NHS frontline workers and clocking up countless voluntary hours to support those at risk.
These include David Maguire MBE from Glasgow, who repurposed his restaurant to provide free food to thousands of NHS workers at the hospital, vulnerable people and school children, Jolene Miller BEM, from Stockton, County Durham, who volunteered as a paramedic to help her former colleagues while also continuing to work as a train driver, and Henry James BEM, from Edinburgh, who designed, created and delivered PPE for healthcare workers, using 3D printing technology.
Fundraisers who received recognition in the list included 90-year-old Margaret Payne, who has raised over £400,000 for charity by walking the equivalent of a mountain up and down her stairs, and Darwen virtual pub quiz master Jay Flynn who received an MBE.
RNLI saw a volunteer lifeboat crew member, a volunteer Lifeboat Operations Manager, a former director, a fundraising volunteer and a volunteer committed to sharing vital water safety advice among nine recipients recognised for their contribution to the charity. These included Audrey Wood (main image), from Newmachar in Aberdeenshire, who received a BEM after raising more than £235,000 for RNLI lifeboat stations across the north east of Scotland, and Scarborough RNLI fundraiser and founder of the Andrew McGeown Legacy Fund, Donna Loveland, who also received a BEM.
RNLI Chief Executive, Mark Dowie said:
“It is such a delight to see these RNLI people recognised for their hard work and commitment, particularly as we have had such a challenging year. Those who have been named in this year’s Birthday Honours truly represent the RNLI values through their dedication, support and courage. On behalf of everyone at the RNLI, I send my heartfelt congratulations and gratitude to all those who have been recognised.”
Charity sector recipients
Chief Executive of Children’s Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS) Maria McGill, who led the charity through significant change between 2010 and 2020, and was awarded a CBE for services to palliative and end-of-life care, and children.
Jonathan Douglas, Chief Executive of the National Literacy Trust, has been recognised with a CBE for his services to literacy in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List 2020. He was acknowledged for his contribution to raising the profile of literacy in the UK and closing the literacy attainment gap between disadvantaged children and their better-off peers.
360Giving Founder and Chair, Fran Perrin, was awarded an OBE in recognition of her charitable services – including for setting up and driving 360Giving – particularly during the Covid-19 crisis, which has seen over £217 million of COVID-19 grants made available for search and analysis with its COVID-19 Grants Tracker. Perrin’s OBE is also for her donations, made through the Indigo Trust, to help charities respond to the coronavirus emergency.
Alabaré Chief Executive, Andrew Lord was also awarded an MBE, while Mental Health Foundation trustee Siobhan Sheridan received a CBE, and Chris Hindley, Chief Executive of the Youth Federation received an OBE.
More awards for charity people, fundraisers and volunteers:
More on honours for good work
- Free support to boost recognition of LGBTQ activists (18 June 2021)
- OBE for Mark Astarita, British Red Cross Director of Fundraising (13 June 2015)
- Deadline extended for Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Volunteering Awards 2012 (7 September 2012)
- How to nominate someone for a MBE honour? (31 August 2017)
About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.