A number of people across the charity sector have received recognition in the New Year Honours List 2023.
Scope chair receives knighthood
Scope’s chair, Robin Millar, has been recognised in the King’s New Year’s honours list.
He is one of the world’s leading record producers having gained 150 gold and platinum discs including 44 number 1 hits, representing over £400 million in sales worldwide. He also has the progressive condition Retinitis Pigmentosa and was registered blind at 16 years old, with no sight since 1985.
Millar said: “I am so proud to receive this honour. In particular, I welcome the opportunity it brings to raise more attention about the need for disability equality.”
Robin Millar, Scope’s chair, has been recognised in the King’s New Year’s honours list.
Big Give chair receives CBE
James Reed, the driving force behind the charity Big Give and chairman of the Reed Group, has been awarded the CBE, for services to business and charity.
Reed is the chair of the board of trustees at Big Give and has helped to build it into the UK’s most successful match funding platform, raising more than £233m for over 14,000 different charities in the last 15 years.
He said: “This is a great surprise and a great honour. It makes me want to double down on Big Give’s charitable goal of raising £1bn for good causes through the concept of match funding, which we have pioneered - bringing in philanthropists, companies and foundations to double the value of public donations to thousands of charities.”
Power the Fight CEO honoured
Benjamin Lindsay, chief executive of Power the Fight, has been recognised for services to the community in South East London.
.@BCWLindsay has received an OBE for services to the community in South East London. #NYHonours
— Cabinet Office (@cabinetofficeuk) December 31, 2022
Here’s his story.https://t.co/B2WBjsZ7xH pic.twitter.com/mkXSVnHy6r
Former Seafarers’ CEO awarded OBE
Catherine Spencer, has been awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE). She took on the role of CEO of The Seafarers’ Charity in June 2019 and was in post for less than a year before Covid-19 caused the UK to enter lockdown.
In response to the crisis, The Seafarers’ Charity’s trustees released an additional £2m from the charity’s reserves to support the welfare of seafarers.
In July 2022, Catherine moved to a new role as chief executive with health care research organisation Cochrane.
Gambling with Lives co-founders awarded MBE
Liz and Charles Ritchie have both been awarded an MBE in the New Year Honours List for services to charity and to families bereaved by gambling-related suicide.
They lost their son Jack in 2017 at the age of 24 after he had been drawn into gambling on highly addictive machines while still at school. Liz and Charles set up the charity Gambling with Lives in 2018.
Liz Ritchie said: “This award is really for all the families searching for justice for those that have died. This is for Jack and for all the others – unfortunately too many to name.”
Charles Ritchie added: “This award is a recognition of the hard work of many people, including many bereaved families, who have fought to reform gambling in the UK for so long, including for years before we became involved in this issue.”
RNLI volunteers recognised
Five RNLI volunteers with nearly 240 years of service between them are among those who have been recognised by King Charles.
These include a lifeboat volunteer of 62 years, and a fundraiser of 52 years who has helped raise nearly £2m, as well as a campaigner who after losing her son to drowning has supported water safety education.
Mark Dowie, RNLI chief executive, said: “I have found you can never make assumptions about the people you meet in all roles within the RNLI; they all have fascinating back-stories and I often leave a visit feeling profoundly humbled.”
Portrait of former Cromer volunteer Ted Luckin who volunteered at the lifeboat station for over six decades. Pictured at his home at the age of 93 wearing his service medals.
Other charity sector honours
Others recognised for charity include John Clive William Avon for services to charity and philanthropy, as well as Jasvir Singh, chair of City Sikhs.
Jonathan Ball, chief executive of the Royal Marines Association and the Royal Marines Charity was also honoured, as was Vicky Browning, who was CEO of ACEVO and is now interim CEO of The Whitehall and Industry Group.
Sue Cipin, chief executive of the Jewish Deaf Association, and Ian Green, former chief executive of the Terrence Higgins Trust also received honours.
Natasha Porter chief executive and founder of Unlocked Graduates Charity received an OBE, as did Jonathan William Welfare, chair of Gingerbread and founder of Turn2Us.
Mesba Ahmed, founder and chief executive, London Tigers Charity received an OBE, as did Timothy Brett Johnson, former CEO of Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity.
Ian Swinney, area ranger for Bookham Commons in the Surrey Hills, received a British Empire Medal (BEM). He is retiring after 50 years working for the National Trust, and has been instrumental in introducing grazing and woodland management to improving the network of ponds which are rich in wildlife species and maintaining the site’s SSSI status.
They were joined by a raft of other charity sector staff and volunteers, and a full list of honours can be found here.
Excellence Not Empire
The campaign group Excellence Not Empire is calling for the honours system to change so that Order of the British Empire changes to Order of British Excellence. It argues that this would make the honours system more inclusive, and be a move to acknowledging Britain’s colonial past.
Congratulations to everyone who received an honour in the Kings first NY honours list. If you, like us, believe the Honours system should break all ties with our colonial past and be awarded in the name of Excellence not Empire head over to our website & support our campaign pic.twitter.com/odrmhJtG9M
— #ExcellenceNotEmpire (@ExcellenceNotE1) December 30, 2022
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