Dozens of charity figures have been recognised in this year's Queen’s birthday honours list.
Sandra Horley, former chief executive of the domestic abuse charity Refuge, and Sara Llewellin, chief executive of the funder Barrow Cadbury Trust, have both been made dames.
The philanthropists Mike Gooley and William Adderley were knighted.
Mike Adamson from the British Red Cross and Lynda Thomas from Macmillan Cancer Support both received CBEs.
Barnardo’s chief executive Javed Khan received an OBE, as did Ellie Orton, who leads NHS Charities Together.
‘We achieve very little on our own’
Horley was chief executive of Refuge for 37 years, until her retirement last year. The charity's director of communications and external relations, Lisa King, was also recognised in this year's with an OBE.
Llewellin has been chief executive of the Barrow Cadbury Trust for 12 years. She was made a dame in recognition of her service to social justice.
She said: “I am as shocked as I am honoured to receive this recognition.
“As all social justice activists know, we can achieve very little on our own and would be foolish to try.
“I have worked with many hundreds of people on creating social change over the decades and all should take their share of credit for this award. Very many of them changed and shaped me along the way and still do.”
Gooley founded the Mike Gooley Trailfinders Charity in 1995, through which he has donated nearly £8m to cancer charities and another £3.8m to Alzheimer’s Research UK, as well as other organisations.
Adderley’s charity, The Stoneygate Trust, donated just over £3m to good causes last year.
Humbled
Mike Adamson said that his CBE was “a reflection of the impact and standing” of the British Red Cross.
Lynda Thomas said of her CBE: “I am extremely grateful to be nominated and am thrilled to accept this honour, that also represents a huge collective effort in delivering outstanding impact for people living with cancer.”
Javed Khan, who has led Barnardo’s since 2014 and received an OBE for services to children and young people, said: “I’m delighted and incredibly humbled to receive this Honour.
“Growing up in inner-city Birmingham in the 1960s and 70s, with Kashmiri immigrant parents who couldn’t read or write in any language, I never dreamt this would be possible for someone like me.”
He added: “This honour is a testament to the work of this incredible charity, and to every colleague, volunteer and supporter who goes above and beyond, every single day to make sure children and families can achieve the positive future they deserve.”
Ellie Orton thanked her colleagues, saying: “I am so proud to receive this award because it is public recognition of the tireless efforts of our small, dedicated staff team, trustees and partners of NHS Charities Together who worked so tirelessly to get the funds raised straight to the frontline of the NHS within days of launching our appeal.
“This really has been a case of team work on a national scale.”
Fadi Itani, chief executive of the Muslim Charities Forum, who received an OBE for services to charity and interfaith relations during the pandemic, said: “Alhamdulillah, I am so pleased to have got recognition, it is an acknowledgement for great work of many of the teams, volunteers and members, grassroots groups I worked with and the communities I served in the last three decades.
“It is really nice to be recognised this way.
“It is a reminder about the importance of appreciating the positive and good work and celebrating the diversity of Britain.”
Other recipients
Other charity figures recognised included Sue Turner, the former chief executive of the Quartet Community Foundation, who received a CBE, as did Lindsay Boswell, the chief executive of the hunger charity FareShare.
Caroline Abrahams, the chief executive of Age UK, and Vidhya Alakeson, chief executive of the community business foundation Power to Change, both received OBEs.
Henny Braund, the chief executive of Anthony Nolan, received an MBE, and so did Amanda Medler, chief guide at Girlguiding.
Eleanor Southwood, the former chair of trustees at RNIB, was also made an MBE.
#ExcellenceNotEmpire campaign
More than 100 civil society campaigners have now called on the government to reform the honours system so that the word “empire” is replaced with “excellence”.
The campaigners, many of whom have been recognised for the Queen’s honours in the past, say that “references to the British Empire in romantic or nostalgic terms are offensive and deeply hurtful, particularly to those whose families and ancestors suffered”.
They added: “A change from empire to excellence does not require anyone to change the letters after their name.
“It could be done simply, quickly and would only enhance the value and impact of UK honours.
“Learning as a country to come to terms with our past must also mean building a future where everyone feels able to share in and celebrate our civic rituals and structures, including the honours system.
“That is why this simple change to replace empire with excellence is so important.”
Charity figures backing the campaign include Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, and Sufina Ahmad, chief executive of the John Ellerman Foundation.
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