‘One of the proudest moments of my life’
FAMOUS names in the West have mingled with charity champions and community workers in the list of recipients in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.
One of the best-known names is international snooker star Judd Trump who is made an MBE.
The player from Bristol, who began playing in Keynsham, has won 23 major ranking tournaments to his name since his career began in 2005.
He was world champion in 2019, and in the 2019/20 season won six ranking events, setting a new record for winning the most ranking titles in a single season.
Trump was named the World Snooker Tour’s Player of the Year for three consecutive years from 2019 to 2021.
“To be awarded an MBE is one of the proudest moments of my life; I never expected it,” he said.
“It’s an absolute honour to be an ambassador for the Teenage Cancer Trust and The Jessie May Foundation; both do such amazing work and I will continue to support them as much as possible.
“I hope I can continue to help grow the sport of snooker and inspire kids to pick up a cue.”
Another recipient from the field of sport is Andrew Ryan, 66, from Cheltenham. The executive director of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) is made an MBE for services to sport.
He is one of the most influential and respected sports administrators in Olympic sport globally. Throughout his 15-year tenure he has supported and advised several sports administrators from the UK.
He is a member of the International Olympic Committee Programme Commission and the Coordination Commissions for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games and the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
Previously, he was Chief Operating Officer of the Badminton World Federation.
Sarah Crew, the Chief Constable of Avon and Somerset Police, receives the Queen’s Police Medal.
She took over the role on a temporary basis from Andy Marsh after serving as a police officer in Avon and Somerset Police since 1994 and as Deputy Chief Constable since 2017. She was given the role permanently in November last year.
The chief constable said: “Receiving such recognition is truly humbling. The fact that it is Platinum Jubilee year makes it even more so.
“In truth, this award is a mark of the dedicated work of many people over many years, fellow officers and staff as well as colleagues in other organisations, in the voluntary sector and in our communities. I am honoured to accept it on their behalf and because it gives me the opportunity to bring to wider attention their selfless efforts and achievements in the service of others.
“I say thank you and pay tribute to the fantastic people with whom I have had the privilege to work on some truly transformational and lifechanging projects.”
Timothy Woodward, 56, from Drayton, Somerset, is made an MBE for services to charity particularly during the pandemic.
He is the founder and chief executive officer of the Country Food Trust (CFT) and a trustee of the Spinal Muscular Atrophy Trust.
He was instrumental in setting up the CFT having been motivated on the one hand by the amount of game food which goes to waste and the amount of food poverty in this country on the other.
CFT raises money to provide nutritious meals from game for people in need. He was able to get some very generous backers to help fund the creation of the charity in 2015 and gave up a very highly paid job as managing director at Deutsche Bank in order to bring his drive and enthusiasm to the role of CEO.
By 2019 the charity was providing half a million meals but during the pandemic he was able to motivate and drive forward the process.
As of March 2022 in total over two million meals have been provided to 3,500 charities across the UK. From 2011 until 2019 he was a trustee of the Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) Trust. He has a child who suffers from this disability. During 2011 he walked 630 miles of the South West Coastal Path in 40 days to personally raise £260,000.
Dr Ian Miller, 62, from Clevedon, Somerset, was Chief Medical Officer with the British Paralympic Association and receives an MBE for services to paralympic sport He has been a sports and exercise physician since 1994. He retired from his Para Sports Medicine lead role at the English Institute of Sport, EIS, and from his position as Chief Medical Officer, CMO, to the British Paralympic Association, BPA, at the end of October 2021.
He has had a long career in high performance sport and is recognised as a pioneer in sports medicine. He was the clinical lead for sports medicines at the University of Bath from 2005 until 2015.
Chris Skidmore, the MP for Kingswood, is awarded an OBE for parliamentary and public service.
He was first elected in 2010 as the Conservative MP for the South Gloucestershire constituency and became vicechairman of the Conservative Party for Policy in 2018. He served as Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation from December 2018 to July 2019, and from September 2019 to February 2020.
Janet Bell, 62, the Director of Glastonbury Abbey, pictured above inset, is made an MBE for services to heritage. The abbey is run by a small independent charity with no parent body and receives no public funds but has a small dedicated staff led by Ms Bell. She is a highly respected museums professional who combines strategic vision with a warm, consultative leadership style.
The Covid lockdown severed all the abbey’s income streams, placing a heavy burden on her to respond quickly to minimise the damage to its finances and to protect staff jobs.
She secured government grants, organised staff furlough and introduced safe ways of working.
To date she has secured over £600,000 in grants, ensuring that this scheduled monument, the cradle of English Christianity, is preserved for future generations.
Robert McDonald, 77, from Williton, Somerset, receives the BEM for voluntary service to veterans.
He is chairman of the Somerset and City of Bristol, Royal British Legion and served for 33 years in the Army, achieving the rank of major.
Using his wide experience gained over 25 years of membership, he has led the Somerset and Bristol Branch of the Royal British Legion to outstanding performance over the past six years.
Despite the unprecedented challenges of the pandemic, he personally saved several branches from closure, which are fundamental to the work of the charity in Somerset.
His passionate commitment to veteran support, remembrance and his local community was witnessed in 2014 when he helped to raise over £22,000 to pay for the town’s first memorial, in his role as chairman to the Watchet Remembrance Project Group.
Dawn Dolphin 50, is co-founder and chair of Gloucestershire Bundles and receives the BEM for charitable services to disadvantaged people in Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire Bundles is a small charity that she started nine years ago and has helped 11,500 individuals in the county and has received 2,868 referrals from health, social and education services requesting emergency assistance for families in crisis.
It supplies packs of toiletries, clothing, baby and child equipment to families, expectant mothers, homeless people, refugees, and any individual facing crisis in their lives.
In truth, this award is a mark of the dedicated work of many people over many years, fellow officers and staff as well as colleagues in other organisations, in the voluntary sector and in our communities SARAH CREW, CHIEF CONSTABLE OF AVON AND SOMERSET POLICE