Queen’s honours for county’s best

10:08am Saturday 14th June 2008

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A LEADING York academic joins the list of show business stars, sports personalities and captains of industry in the Queen's Birthday Honours list, published today.

Professor Dianne Willcocks, vice-chancellor of York St John University, receives a CBE for services to higher education and to the community in Yorkshire.

Grahame Maxwell, chief constable of North Yorkshire Police, gets the Queen's Police Medal which is awarded to officers for distinguished service.

As North Yorkshire's top policeman for the past year, he has had to deal with the major battle over funding while overseeing a force which has driven down crime by more than seven per cent.

He said: "I am absolutely delighted to receive this award. It is a reflection of not just my work but the hard work of my colleagues. It is the ultimate reward to receive as a police officer and I feel truly honoured to have been nominated."

Joining them in the line-up of honours is Geoff Rennie, of Huttons Ambo, who gets an OBE for voluntary services to North Yorkshire.

Geoff has had a long-running interest in the community and safety, and is chairman of Malton and Norton Partnership. He has also been involved in the Ryedale Crime Reduction Panel and CCTV, the county's Ryedale area committee and the county fire authority plus the Howardian Hills Area of Oustanding Natural Beauty.

Prof Willcocks, who is an advocate and practitioner for socially inclusive higher education, receives the honour in recognition of her services to higher education.

Her research into old age has focussed on living arrangements for new generations of elderly people, issues of citizenship, and challenging ageism.

She said: "I am overwhelmed and jubilant. I'm tremendously privileged to receive such recognition. I am lucky that I have a passion for the work I do, the city I live in and the people I meet and serve in a variety of different ways.

"This honour would not have been possible without the important support of so many throughout my life and career."

There is also recognition for giant of rugby and Ampleforth College alumnus, Lawrence Dallaglio, who receives an OBE.

Fostering couple pick up MBEs

A COUPLE from North Yorkshire who fostered 74 children over the course of 28 years have collected honours at Buckingham Palace.

Wendy, 61, and Tony Whitbourn, 62, have been rewarded for their dedication.

Prince Charles presented the York couple with MBEs at the Palace for services to fostering, and took time out to hear about their experiences before asking whether they will continue.

"When I can't climb over the stairgate any more, that's the time to stop," said Wendy. "It is a way of life. I really can't see a time when we won't want to do it."

The mother and grandmother, who is now decorating the baby's bedroom for the next arrival, said the ceremony had been "very special".

"It was very memorable. Prince Charles was very charming. It was a wonderful day, one I will never forget.

"We just felt so honoured we were actually nominated and received the MBE.

"Listening to the other stories of recipients, so many have done marvellous things like rescuing people, or people in the forces who have been in Afghanistan."

The pair both received MBEs in the Queen's New Year's Honours list.

Wendy said: "We are still in touch with a lot of the children. It is like a very large extended family. They all send their best wishes when they heard about the MBEs."

The couple were joined by family members including three of their children: Heather, Carol and Simon, Wendy's brother Michael Powell and his wife Linda, and her friend of 30 years, Doreen Carter.

NORTH YORKS honours list

North Yorkshire brings home a plethora of OBEs including:

• Carole Cressey, of Knaresborough, who is director of Contact Services at Families Forward, in Leeds, and got an OBE for services to Children and Families
• Ciaran McGuigan, of Knaresborough, head of examinations and assessment, National Policing Improvement Agency
• Hugh Richard Vaughan Morgan-Williams, of Thirsk, chair of Canford Group plc, OBE for services to Business in the North East
• John Emsley, of South Milford, executive officer of Disability and Carers' Service, Department for Work and Pensions, for public and voluntary service
• Christopher Powell, of Knaresborough, for services to the community in Starbeck
• Elaine Mawson, former general manager of Harrogate Hospital, receives an OBE for service to the NHS and to the community in West and North Yorkshire
• Zulfiqar Hussain, chief executive of Global Synergy Solutions, receives an OBE for services to business and to charity in Yorkshire and the Humber

Stars' awards

In the world of showbiz, both comedian and writer, Victoria Wood, and singer, TV host and comedian Des O'Connor receive CBEs for services to entertainment.

There is an MBE for Liverpudlian Paul O'Grady, who invented Lily Savage, and for June Brown, who plays Dot Cotton in EastEnders, while TV screenwriter Russell T Davies, the man who breathed new life into Doctor Who, gets an OBE for services to drama.

Sportsmen Bill Beaumont receives a CBE, as does boxing champion Joe Calzaghe.