People who have dedicated their time and work to benefitting Cornwall have been honoured in the first King’s Birthday Honours List.
Each year the monarch of the country awards honours ranging from knighthoods to CBEs, OBEs and MBEs to the newer British Empire Medal (BEM).
This is the first Birthday Honours List since the late Queen's and is Charles III's first since his coronation in May.
Speaking about this year's honours list, Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden said: “This year’s honours list is a testament to ordinary people who have demonstrated extraordinary community spirit, and I pay tribute to all those who have been recognised today.”
Among those receiving honours in Cornwall are Dr Giles Francis Maskell, a consultant clinical radiologist at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust in Truro, for services to Diagnostic Radiology. He has been made an Officer of the British Empire (OBE).
Also being made an OBE is Dr Carol Lee Tozer, lately director of Adult Social Services for Isle of Wight Council and trustee of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, for services to social care in Bodmin.
Lindsey Victoria Hall, of Downderry in Cornwall, has been made a Member of the British Empire (MBE) for services to Social Enterprise and to the community in Cornwall and Plymouth.
The 63-year-old is now chief executive officer of the Real Ideas Organisation.
In 2002, as Cornwall’s Director of Creative Partnerships, her work focused on how to improve education through creativity, particularly in some of the most challenging communities in Cornwall, and it was at this point she really understood how creative changemaking can transform lives.
She was awarded a Cultural Fellowship by NESTA in 2006 and spent three months in the US/Canada working with creative and cultural organisations.
Building on her NESTA Fellowship experience she co-founded the company Real Ideas Organisation (RIO) in 2007. She grew this from a single community interest company (CIC) with six staff members to a CIC Group with around 100 people and a turnover of £5 million.
Her achievements include developing the Social Enterprise Qualification (SEQ) to support children and young people to set up social enterprises in schools and start careers as social entrepreneurs, partnering with the British Council and the Scottish Social Enterprise Academy and renovating several heritage buildings to turn them into spaces that can help young people overcome disadvantage.
She also developed and now co-chairs the Inclusive Growth Group in Plymouth, championing good growth and the role all businesses need to play to create a fairer, greener economy.
Also becoming an MBE is David William Pond, from Kingsand in Cornwall.
Lately chief executive for Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby, the 67-year-old has received the honour for services to wheelchair rugby.
He joined GB Wheelchair Rugby in 2009 and over 12 years as the CEO, oversaw the transformation of the National Governing Body from a voluntary led organisation, to a professional governing body. His leadership led to significant growth in wheelchair rugby in the UK, not least enabling the sport to be played by individuals with a wider range of disability than was previously possible.
His drive directly resulted in the introduction of new variants, a youth programme, a large number of new clubs, working partnerships with the likes of Help for Heroes, and a growing respect within the GB Paralympic community.
He was instrumental in wheelchair rugby becoming part of the inaugural Invicta Games in 2014.
However, perhaps his most notable achievement occurred when GB Wheelchair Rugby unexpectedly lost its elite level funding in December 2016 following a fifth place at the Rio Paralympics. He enabled GB Wheelchair Rugby to secure a variety of key sponsorship partnerships, which allowed the GB team to not only qualify for the Tokyo Paralympics but ultimately to go on and win the gold medal - the first time a European nation had even medalled.
He also led the successful bid to host wheelchair rugby's European Championships in the Principality Stadium in Cardiff in 2023 and is the chair of the delivery board for the championships.
Other people being made an MBE are Fowey’s Deborah Jane Boden, World Heritage Site coordinator for Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape World Heritage Site, for services to heritage, and Sarah Greenhalgh (Sarah Smith), chair of Tobacco Factory Theatres, for services to theatre and to the community in Bristol and Cornwall.
Sandra Lawrence, from Newquay, founder and director of Cornwall Accessible Activities Programme, has received a Medal of the Order of the British Empire (BEM), for services to families with disabled children and young people.
A Devon and Cornwall Police officer has also been awarded the King’s Policing Medal (KPM) for services to policing.
PC Sam Samuel, who has served with the force for 21 years, is based in Plymouth and currently working as the geographical full time representative for the Police Federation in Devon and Cornwall.
The force said that over the years he has demonstrated “exemplary service and dedication to communities”, using his initiative to help improve the understanding in the force of the impact of racism on victims of crime.
PC Samuel said: “I am truly honoured and humbled to be recognised in the King’s Birthday Honour’s list. Over the years, I have very much enjoyed being a police officer collaborating with communities and partners to help change the way we treat victims of racism.
“There is still much work to do but I am committed to being at the forefront of change to ensure our diverse communities continue to be heard and are protected.”
PC Samuel came to England from a small village in Antigua to join his parents, who had travelled to England as part of the Windrush generation. He spent ten years in the Royal Navy after leaving school and 15 years as an engineer with BT before joining the police service.
He grew up in Leicester and joined Devon and Cornwall Police in 2002. Dedicated to improving the experience with the police of victims of racism, in 2016, he volunteered his services to help set up the Force’s Positive Action group.
In 2017 he received a Force commendation after helping save the life of a man suffering self-inflicted knife wounds in Plymouth.
In addition to his busy role as a police constable and Police Federation representative, over the years he has used his initiative to build relationships with the local Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), improving the understanding of the impact of racism on victims of crime.
Outside of policing, he is a level two rugby union coach and has spent that time developing and improving the lives of young people in the local community through team building and helping to build the confidence of junior members.
READ MORE: See the full list of people named in the King's Birthday Honours for 2023
Nationally, fashion editor Dame Anna Wintour, Line Of Duty actress Vicky McClure MBE, Booker Prize-winning novelist Ian McEwan and TV presenter Davina McCall MBE were named in this year's list.
Other notable names include radio broadcaster Ken Bruce, MI6 Chief Richard Moore and late author Sir Martin Amis, who was knighted a day before he died last month aged 73.
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