Northumberland residents receive New Year Honours

The King’s New Year Honours List includes recipients who have made exceptional contributions to their local communities and the country as a whole.

Dr Alice Elizabeth Ellis (Alice Hartley), from Morpeth, a consultant urologist with South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust, gets an MBE for services to the NHS in recognition of her outstanding commitment to helping tackle workplace bullying and undermining within the profession.

"It came completely out of the blue,” she said. “It's lovely to have the personal accolade but this recognition is not about me; it's a testament to the incredible team I’ve had the privilege of working with on this.

“Their shared commitment to creating a safer and more supportive environment for everyone in our profession has been the driving force.”

Ronald Wright, from Red Row, served as an on-call firefighter for 25 years and has committed his career to ensuring the best fire and rescue vehicles and equipment are available in his community.

He has been awarded a BEM to recognise his service, which includes work to prepare vehicles to be donated to Ukraine. He is currently developing a strategy to minimise firefighter exposure to cancer-causing contaminants.

He said he was totally "taken aback" by the "breathtaking" news.

Scott Weightman, from Berwick, founding chairman and trustee of Berwick Youth Project, has been awarded an MBE for services to young people.

He was brought up in the Alnwick and Shilbottle area and went on to become a teacher at Berwick Grammar School and Berwick High School. He is also a former county councillor and magistrate. He also founded the Sri Lankan charity Every Penny.

He said: "I’m delighted but would stress that Berwick Youth Project has been so successful as a result of the excellent leadership and management skills of John Bell, the project leader since its foundation in 1995.

“Supported by four full-time staff and an enthusiastic and pro-active management committee , the BYP has helped thousands of young people, including over 270 local youngsters who have been directly accommodated by the charity in time of need.”

Michelle Southern, based in Blyth, has been awarded an OBE for founding Street Paws, a charity that provides free accessible vet care and support services to homeless people and their pets across the UK. She has a team of over 360 volunteers and teams in over 23 locations to locate, support and treat animals across the North East, North West, Yorkshire, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

Brian Palmer, former chief executive of Blyth-based Tharsus Group, has been awarded an OBE for services to manufacturing and skills. Brian re-invented his family metal business into a leader in UK robotics, and is seen as an entrepreneurial business leader in product design and manufacturing who has transformed the face of hi-tech manufacturing in the North East.

Gwyneth McKenzie, from Riding Mill, has been awarded an MBE to recognise her voluntary work as a leader in the Scout Association in Northumberland for 50 years. Her work helped increase the number of young people and adults engaged in Scouting in rural mid and north Northumberland by 42% over three years.

Robert Williamson, chief executive of The Community Foundation Tyne and Wear & Northumberland (CFTWN), has been awarded an OBE.

Patrick Chapman, from Hexham, receives an MBE for services to the creative industries and to higher education.

The North East has previously been underrepresented in the honours system, with the latest stats showing that 26 people, or 2%, of honours go to people in this area.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is committed to ensuring that honours are awarded to people across the whole of the UK, so that the honours system captures and celebrates the fantastic contribution of people from throughout the country.

He said: “The New Year’s Honours list recognises the exceptional achievements of people across the country and those who have shown the highest commitment to selflessness and compassion.

“To all honourees, you are the pride of this country and an inspiration to us all.”

Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden said: “Everyone from the North East receiving honours today represents the best in British communities.

“I send my warmest congratulations to this year’s recipients, all of whom are incredibly deserving for what they have achieved.

“If you know someone in your community who has done something extraordinary, nominate them for an honour so together we can recognise what they have achieved.”

Anyone can nominate someone for an honour. If you know someone who has achieved fantastic things worthy of recognition, go to https://www.gov.uk/honours to find out more about how you can put them forward.