Her Majesty The Queen’s latest Honours List rewards ten exceptional members of staff from the Home Office, the Identity and Passport Service and the UK Border Agency for “outstanding achievement and service”.
Honours have been awarded for a range of services including contributions through charity and community work and “extraordinary dedication” to public service.
New Members of the British Empire
Those who have been honoured with an MBE for making a real impact in their community or during service include:
- Glennis Bentley (executive officer, asylum and appeals Midlands and East region) for voluntary service to young people in Peterborough
Along with another mother, Bentley founded the Phoenix Youth Project which, for some years now, has given young people a safe place to socialise and taught them vital life skills.
Bentley’s described as “a real community champion” as well as a champion of equal opportunities in the workplace.
- Margaret Bissett (executive officer, immigration group casework) for services to health charities.
Bissett has raised a huge amount of funds for the Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice and the Beatson Oncology Centre.
- Carol Armstrong (higher officer, Border Control Belfast) for her energy and commitment to getting the UK Border Agency good haulage, storage and disposal contracts for seized goods which has saved the public purse millions of pounds
Armstrong also runs a weekly Sunday school in her local community.
- Charlotte Fielder (higher executive officer, Heathrow Detection, Border Force) who, by day, has been “an exceptional member of staff” leading teams that have had excellent success in Class A drug seizures and intercepting airport crime.
Fielder’s passion has been seen in the backing of her charity, Reach, which supports parents of children who have been born with missing limbs or upper limb deficiencies.
Her book, entitled ‘Shared Experiences’, gives hope and confidence to new parents faced with the extra parenting challenges ahead of them… and all the proceeds of sales go direct to Reach.
- Elwyn Soutter (lately Her Majesty’s Inspector, UK Border Agency) but now retired. Soutter has been credited as being the lead on immigration enforcement capability in Northern Ireland, and has also made a huge contribution to the fight against drug crime, setting up a working agreement with the Police Service of Northern Ireland.
- Robert Wilson (lately regional manager, Glasgow, Identity and Passport Service) but also bow retired, Wilson was a manager with fierce pride in his Glasgow office (and its unceasingly successful football team), who volunteered that office for all manners of initiatives.
Wilson personally made sure that all his staff members had the support to be the best they could possibly be in their roles.
OBE, CBE, CB and GCB honours
The following individuals have received OBE, CBE, CB and GCB honours in the 2011 list:
- John Francis Lynch (head of Heathrow passenger services) is now an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) having dedicated 40 years of his life to protecting Government revenue in a variety of energetic and innovative ways in both Customs and Excise and the UK Border Agency (including one project that thwarted would-be tax evaders to the tune of GB pound 500 million).
- Ravi Chand (head of Human Resources’ strategic diversity action team and race advisor to the Permanent and Home Secretary) has become a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).
Chand’s commitment to celebrating diversity and enhancing the contributions that people of all walks of life can bring has led to the Home Office reaching the Gold Standard against a number of external diversity benchmarks as set by groups such as Stonewall.
- Yasmin Diamond (director of communications) is now a Companion of the Order of the Bath, holding a CB.
The honour recognises Diamond’s ability to see what members of the public care about, and how to get across the Home Office messages in a way that resonates with them by dint of using the full breadth of contemporary media now at her disposal.
- Sir David Normington has become a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB).
Now retired, as permanent secretary he presided over a recovered Home Office following Dr John Reid’s statement that this department was ‘not fit for purpose’, and led staff through the machinery of Government change that followed on from Reid’s words.
View the full Honours List on the Directgov website (access the link on the right hand panel of this page)