Philanthropists and fundraisers recognised in New Year Honours List 2012
Howard Lake | 1 January 2012 | News
Fourteen philanthropists have been recognised with knighthoods or CBEs in the 2012 New Year Honours list. Many other donors, fundraisers, volunteers and charity staff have also received awards for their work.
The philanthropists include Aston Villa FC chairman Doug Ellis, Dr Naim Dangoor, who supports educational causes and charities, and Paul Ruddock, who has helped support the revival of the Victoria and Albert Museum and other cultural institutions.
Knighthoods have been awarded to Michael Bear, the Lord Mayor, for his service to regeneration, charity and the City of London; and to David Reid, formerly Chairman of Tesco plc, for services to business and charity.
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CBE
Entertainer and comedian Ronnie Corbett OBE was awarded a CBE for services to entertainment and charity.
Martina Milburn, Chief Executive of The Prince’s Trust, received a CBE for services to charity.
Gerald Ronson has been awarded a CBE for his charitable services. He was jailed in 1990 for his part in the Guinness share dealing scandal, although he has always protested his innocence. According to the Daily Mail, “he has raised more than £100 million for, and donated more than £30 million to, charities such as the Community Security Trust, NSPCC, the Prince’s Trust and Jewish Care”.
Bill Holroyd, Founder and Chairman of North West-based charity OnSide, has been awarded a CBE in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the development of the charity, which gives young people somewhere safe and inspiring to go every day of the year.
OBE
OBEs have been awarded to retired cricket umpire Dennis ‘Dickie’ Bird for his services to sport and charity, and to TV presenter Lorraine Kelly for services to charity and the Armed Forces.
Christopher Preddie has received an OBE for his work in reducing crime, working with Crimestoppers and explaining to youth groups and prisoners about the impact crime can have on people.
Jack Livingstone also receives an OBE for four decades of community work in Manchester.
MBE
Christine Mills, founder of the cancer charity Hope for Tomorrow, receives an MBE for her fundraising activities which helped provide the first mobile chemotherapy unit in the UK.
So too does Barbara Benson-Smith for her services to dance and charity. She has co-run the Benson Stage Academy in Whitby for over 58 years, working as a dance teacher as well as raising funds for the NSPCC and local charities.
Kirsty Ashton receives a MBE for raising over £87,000 for When You Wish Upon a Star, the charity that supports sick and terminally ill children.
Terence Monaghan has been awarded a MBE for setting up Stock Cares, a transport service that takes vulnerable local residents to essential health appointments. Robyn Keeble receives the same award for helping, with other young people, to set up SW!TCH ID, a scheme that encourages young people to take positive action in in their communities.
Rudolph Parkes received a MBE for services to national and international fundraising and voluntary work. Rudy Parkes is Watch Commander at Cradley Heath fire station in Dudley. Dudley News reports that “The dedicated fundraiser and father-of-one, who lives in Stourbridge, has spent more than 20 years driving forward charitable projects overseas.”
Mrs Rowena Thomas-Breese received a MBE for services to disabled swimming and charitable fundraising.
Morella Kayman, one of the co-founders of Alzheimer’s Society and who is now Vice President of the Society, has been awarded the MBE. She helped set up the charity in 1979 following her husband’s diagnosis of dementia seven years earlier.
Graham Douglas Underdown received his for services to charitable fundraising.
Jeanette Fish has spent 40 years raising millions for cancer care in Doncaster, according to the Sheffield Telegraph, and receives an MBE for this.
You can download the full list of New Year Honours recipients in PDF and the Diplomatic service and overseas list.
Nominate your charity’s supporters
This year 43% of the awards have been given to women; 11% of honours are for work in education; 7% for health workers; 7% for arts and the media; and 4% to sports people.
If you think that some of your charity’s volunteers, donors, staff or supporters deserve such public recognition, you can find out how to nominate them for an award. The guidelines state: “Anyone can receive an award if they reach the required standard of merit or service, and honours lists contain a wide variety of people from different backgrounds. Anyone can nominate someone for an award.”
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 Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.