GONGS FOR OUR VIRUS HEROES & STARS
COVID-19 heroes dominate the Queen’s Birthday Honours this year, with health professionals and members of the community being recognised for their services during the pandemic.
This year’s list was postponed from June in order to include people, such as medical workers, keyworkers, fundraisers and volunteers, who have been instrumental in the Covid-19 effort.
Dozens of people from Wales have been recognised for their efforts during the coronavirus pandemic, including a South Wales supermarket worker who ensured a care home could get vital supplies of food.
During the lockdown Julie Cook, 56, went above and beyond the call of duty to help the community in Aberdare where she works in Asda.
Ms Cook, who works as her store’s community champion, also gave up her spare time to support some of Aberdare’s most vulnerable.
A care home could not get an online delivery slot and was struggling with the strict item limits in store.
Ms Cook took its shopping list each week and would have everything ready for care home staff to pay and collect.
She even helped them load the car. She also helped support local hospitals by donating toiletries and Easter eggs to keep spirits up for staff.
The mum of three – who has worked at the store since it first opened 21 years ago – was stunned by her British Empire Medal, saying: “I can’t believe it.
“An elderly gentleman had said he wanted to write to Asda so say thank you for helping him, so when I heard I’d got an award I assumed it was something from Asda for that.
“I had to read and re-read it to see this was an official honour from the Cabinet Office, as I never imagined I’d be honoured like this.
“I was just jumping up and down when I found out, as I was so excited. I still am.
“I love to chat, so keeping it secret has been so difficult.”
Over Easter she dressed as the Easter bunny to deliver chocolate eggs to children whose parents were vulnerable or self-isolating.
Others recognised included the scientist who led the effort to establish Covid-19 testing in Wales within a month of it being recognised as a new coronavirus.
Dr Catherine Moore, 49, has been recognised with an MBE for services to public health along with three colleagues from Public Health Wales (PHW).
The consultant clinical scientist, of Taff’s Well, works in the PHW microbiology laboratory at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff.
She recognised the significance of Covid-19 and secured early samples to study before any case had been reported in the United Kingdom.
Dr Moore also led the work that resulted in the laboratory at the University Hospital of Wales becoming the second in the UK to be able to test for the virus.
This came within a month of Covid19 being recognised as a new coronavirus.
Working with colleagues, she helped ensure that Wales started sequencing the virus in early March – days after the first confirmed case in the country.
This has resulted in Wales having submitted the third largest number of sequenced cases to a global database, providing information about the characteristics of Covid-19 and its spread.
Dr Moore’s colleagues Dr Robin Howe, Dr Eleri Davies and Gail Lusardi have also been made MBEs.
“I am surprised and happy to receive an MBE but, like everyone else in this pandemic, I have just been doing my
job as I’ve always done throughout my career,” Dr Moore said.
“I’m dedicating my MBE to my family who haven’t seen me properly since January and everyone who I work with across Public Health Wales, especially in the specialist virology centre in Cardiff.”
Dr Howe, 56, of Cardiff, is professional lead of the microbiology service provided by PHW that is responsible for a network of 10 microbiology laboratories across Wales.
He has served as one of three incident directors since PHW declared an enhanced level response to Covid-19 on January 22 this year.
His advice has informed all aspects of the sampling and testing strategies in Wales and formed a major part of the advice PHW prepared for the Welsh Government on approaching the current phase of the pandemic.
Dr Howe was also responsible for advising on the immediate medical management of the first confirmed case in Wales, ensuring the patient was safely transferred to a specialist hospital for treatment.
He also advised senior clinicians and hospital managers across Wales on the necessary conditions for managing cases of Covid-19 as numbers exceeded the capacity of specialist hospitals.
“Pathology services, such as microbiology, are the often-neglected ‘backroom’ specialists that underpin much of NHS activity and I’m so pleased to accept this award as recognition of our whole team effort,” Dr Howe said
Dr Davies is head of healthcare associated infection, antimicrobial resistance and prescribing programme (HARP) at Public Health Wales.
She said she was “surprised and humbled” to receive the news she had been made an MBE for the Covid-19 response.
Gail Lusardi is a nurse consultant within the HARP team.
She said the honour reflected the contribution that the “amazing” team had made during the pandemic, working long hours and in difficult situations for months.
Meanwhile, Cardiff and Vale Health Board worker Claire Lesley Salisbury has been made an MBE after helping secure personal protective equipment (PPE) for the whole of Wales during the crisis.
Across the UK, famous faces to have been recognised in the latest batch of honours included England footballer Marcus Rashford, who has been made an MBE after his efforts in ensuring children in need received meals overthe summer during the pandemic.
Body coach Joe Wicks is also being made an MBE for helping children keep active and mentally fit during lockdown with his online PE lessons.
Derrick Evans, more commonly known as Mr Motivator, has also been made an MBE after creating online home exercises during lockdown and hosting a week-long workout with Linda Lusardi to raise money for Age UK’s Emergency Coronavirus Appeal.
Joining the list of celebrities who have helped with Covid-19 efforts is rapper Lady Leshurr, who is being awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) after releasing a corona virus related song this year reminding people to wash their hands.
Earlier this week, news leaked of damehoods for former Great British Bake Off judge Mary Berry and veteran actress Maureen Lipman.
Meanwhile, Sir David Attenborough, receives an upgrade to Knight Grand Cross in the diplomatic list for services to broadcasting and conservation.
Phil Redmond, the creator of Grange Hill, Brookside and Hollyoaks, has been knighted for services to broadcasting and arts in the regions.
For services to music, British rapper Dizzee Rascal has been made an MBE, while hip hop duo Krept and Konan are awarded the BEM.
Soap star and singer Mica Paris, who recently joined the cast of East Enders, is being made an MBE for services to music, entertainment and charity.
There are knighthoods for Tommy Steele, dubbed Britain’s “first rock n roll star”, for services to entertainment and charity, and actor David Suchet for services to drama and charity.