Skip to content
The Derbyshire people who have been named on King’s Birthday Honours list
An array of local people representing charities, politics, industry, and sport as well as Derbyshire’s chief fire officer feature in the King’s Birthday Honours list – the first birthday honours to be issued by King Charles.
They are among more than 1,039 recipients nationally, including Davina McCall for her career as a broadcaster and campaigner and footballer-turned-pundit Ian Wright for services to charity and football. The list also awards three Companions of Honour – of which there are only 65 recipients at any time – Dame Anna Wintour, for her services to fashion and publishing, author Sir Ian McEwan for his service to literature and Professor Sir John Bell, for his services to medicine and medical research.
The oldest recipient in this summer’s list is Joan Willettt who is 106 years old and receives a British Empire Medal for her charitable fundraising for the British Heart Foundation. The youngest recipient is Junior Jay Frood who is 18 years old and receives the same award for services to vulnerable children.
Locally the recipients include:
Dr Amarjit (Amo) Raju OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire)
Becoming an OBE in the honours list is the icing on the cake for Dr Raju, who also gained an honorary doctorate and won a couple of other awards in recognition of his services to disabled people, carers and the awareness of mental health. Dr Raju is the chief executive of Disability Direct, a charity for the rights and well-being of disabled individuals and he was extremely surprised to hear he was going to be honoured.
He said: “I had a letter from the Cabinet Office about four weeks ago informing me and asking if I wanted to accept the OBE. It was only when I emailed to say I would and got a response from the Cabinet Office that it became very real.”
Dr Raju’s work spans a range of areas, including social care, advocacy, policy development, and community engagement. He has played a pivotal role in spearheading initiatives that promote universal access to welfare rights, social care, mental well-being and in excess of 70 services spanning a career of nearly 30 years. His expertise in income generation through social enterprise has ensured the charity is today almost self-sufficient.
He has also been an influential voice in raising public awareness about the stigma of mental health. In his recently published semi-biographical book, Dr Raju has openly discussed his “relationship” with depression and the benefits of counselling. His dedication to the voluntary sector and disabled people was also recently recognised by the University of Derby which awarded an honorary doctorate in 2022. In the same year, he won the award for Outstanding 3rd Sector Achievement at the British Sikh Awards.
Dr Raju said: “There have been some improvements in society regarding disabled people. You can see disabled people in soap operas and on television generally in such things as sport, much more now than when I was growing up when there were very few role models.
“But there are still things to do such as fighting discrimination, harassment, prejudice and inequality and social care is still a major problem with not enough people training to enter jobs in the sector.
David Moss, chair of Disability Direct said: “Amo’s dedication and passion for equality have positively impacted countless lives, and this prestigious recognition of such service is just so well-deserved. We are honoured to have had the opportunity to work alongside Amo and witness the transformative impact of his vision and efforts first-hand. I’m certain everyone will join us in congratulating Amo for his incredible service.”
Heather Wheeler OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire)
Keeping the knowledge to herself that she is becoming an OBE in the honours list has been very difficult for South Derbyshire MP Heather Wheeler, who says she is “naturally chatty”. So the first some people might know about her receiving the honour for services to political and public service will be when they read this article.
Mrs Wheeler said: “It was an amazing surprise, absolutely wonderful and very unexpected.” She first entered the political arena at the local level 41 years ago and says that the time since then has flown by. She was elected to South Derbyshire District Council for the first time in 1995 and went on to become leader of the council’s Conservative group and leader of the council between 2007 and 2010.
She failed to make it to Parliament in 2001 and 2005 in Coventry South but took the South Derbyshire seat in 2010 and has remained MP there for the past 13 years.
Mrs Wheeler says there have been many significant events during her time in politics but she is particularly proud of being involved in the creation of the National Forest in the Swadlincote area and the regeneration that has taken place. She is also pleased to see Burton and South Derbyshire College offering hands-on courses such as joinery and plumbing.
She said: “Opportunities are vast in South Derbyshire and it’s just a fantastic place to live and work. Things have been tough for many people recently and so my award is really for every one of the people living there who voted me as their MP.
Antony Ellis Baines OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire)
The executive director for services at The Royal British Legion, Mr Baines, of Ripley, becomes an OBE for his services to the Armed Forces Community.
Andrew James Churchill OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire)
Executive chairman of JJ Churchill Ltd, in Nuneaton, Mr Churchill, of Repton, becomes an OBE for his services to engineering. A citation from the Royal Academy of Engineering reads: “Through his vision, outstanding engineering leadership and commitment, JJ Churchill Ltd is distinctive among UK mid-sized manufacturing companies. Andrew is widely engaged with government, the engineering profession, relevant trade bodies and is recognised as a leading ‘go-to’ figure in UK manufacturing and precision engineering. He is committed to helping advance UK manufacturing and the mid-sized supply-chain sector.”
Linda Jayne Cobb OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire)
As principal manager for Decent and Safe Homes (DASH) at Derby City Council, Ms Cobb, of Burton, receives an OBE for services to housing. DASH is a joint initiative between local authorities, property owners, landlords and tenants in the East Midlands. It aims to improve housing conditions, housing choice and housing management in the private sector, with particular emphasis on the private rented sector.
Clare Howard OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire)
As chief executive of Natspec, Ms Howard, of Derby, becomes an OBE for services to children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. She became chief executive of Natspec, dealing with specialist further education, in January 2016.
She worked at the Association of Colleges for six years and her career has included posts in local authorities, funding agencies, schools and colleges. As a consultant in the 2000s, Ms Howard worked on more than 200 projects and took interim posts across the education, sport and health sectors, developing a passion for further education and a particular interest in services and education for people with learning difficulties and disabilities. She has worked with special schools, specialist colleges and national disability organisations and her expertise includes organisational development, funding bids, training, change management and governance projects.
Amy Elizabeth Fearn MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire)
The first woman to ever referee a match in the Football League and FA Cup, Amy Fearn, 45, of Swadlincote, becomes an MBE for services to association football.
She became only the second woman after Wendy Toms to rise to the position of assistant referee in English professional football and on February 9, 2010, she became the first woman to act as the main referee in a Football League match, after the original referee Tony Bates suffered a calf strain 20 minutes before the final whistle.
Ms Fearn has worked as an official since she was 14 and when she turned 16, she began refereeing in the Midland Football Alliance before being promoted to the Football Conference, aged 26. Around this time, she was given responsibilities as an assistant referee, also being appointed to the FIFA assistants list in 2005.
In 2013, she became the first woman to referee an FA Cup Game in the main draw and paved the way for future female referees. In 2015, she was appointed as the referee of the SSE Women’s FA Cup Final for the second time, a role that has historically been bestowed on female referees only once.
Ms Fearn now primarily referees women’s football and balances her football officiating duties with a part-time job as a management accountant for Santander in Leicester.
David Henry Williams MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire)
A Deputy Lieutenant of Derbyshire, vice chair of the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership and chairman of Geldards LLP. Mr Williams, of Smalley, becomes an MBE for his services to business and to the economy in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire.
Gordon Brodie Stewart BEM (Medallist of the Order of the British Empire)
Mr Stewart, who lives in the High Peak and is an organist, teacher and conductor becomes a BEM for his services to music.
Gavin Andrew Tomlinson KSFM (King’s Fire Service Medal)
Derbyshire’s chief fire officer and chief executive Gavin Tomlinson has been awarded a Kings Fire Service Medal (KFSM) for distinguished service. Born and educated in Belper, Mr Tomlinson started his career with Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service as a trainee firefighter in 1993, having previously worked in the town’s knitwear industry. Over his 30-year career, Gavin has worked in many areas of the service before promotion to his present position in September 2019.
Alongside leading the county’s fire and rescue service, in 2020 Mr Tomlinson was appointed the National Fire Chiefs Council lead for protection. In this role, he leads and drives wide-ranging reform to fire safety and building regulation on behalf of the fire and rescue sector.
Mr Tomlinson is also the Chair of the Protection and Business Safety (P&BS) Committee, overseeing the introduction of the Fire Safety Act. He has also been influential in the development of the Building Safety Act, preparing the fire sector for the Building Safety Regulator and overseeing the delivery of the Building Risk Review programme, which co-ordinated the inspection of over 12,000 high-rise premises across the country, providing essential assurance to communities and property owners in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire.
Mr Tomlinson said: “I am extremely honoured to have been awarded the King’s Fire Service Medal. When I walked through the door of the training centre 30 years ago, I could never have imagined that I would have had the career that I have – me just a local lad from Belper who started out working in the thriving knitwear industry of Belper.
“Being named as a recipient of the King’s Fire Service Medal is something that I am extremely proud of, but also something that I hope will inspire others to believe if you set your mind to something, you really can succeed.
“I didn’t go to university, in fact, my education was solely in the hands of schools across Belper, but by doing something I love every day, and working hard, I have been able to make a difference to the safety of people not only across Derbyshire, but through my national work, people across the whole of the UK.
“It has been and continues to be a privilege to be the chief fire officer for Derbyshire and I would encourage anyone who is considering a career either as a firefighter or in one of the many critical professional support roles in the fire and rescue service, to take that step. An exciting and rewarding career awaits, and you never know where it will take you.”
Read next:
