The Queen’s Birthday Honours List 2015 – The Results
Congratulations to the 1,163 outstanding individuals who were honoured for their achievements in The 2015 Queen’s Birthday Honours List.
There were some interesting factors highlighted in this list which demonstrate more and more diversity across the board:
Age is just a number on the Honours List – There is a staggering 86 years between the oldest and the youngest candidates honoured on The List. 103 year old Dr William Frankland was recognised as a pioneer of allergy research for introducing this specialism to the UK. Meanwhile, 17 year old Natasha Lambert received a BEM for her dedication to charitable fundraising despite battling her own condition of athetoid cerebral palsy.
Women rose to the top in numbers, but fell behind at the highest levels – There were more women than men in The List at 51% again this year, but there was a clear gender divide in the number of honours given at the highest level for men and women – we saw 33 men knighted, yet only 7 women were recognised with a damehood.
Entrepreneurs were on the bill for services to the economy – From Atul Pathak of the Appt Corporation to Zoe Jackson of Living the Dream, entrepreneurs running businesses of every size and across many sectors made up their own A-Z of honours this year. Industry achievers also made up the 10% of the business related honours, with awards given at the highest levels for industry leaders such as Nemat Shafik of the International Monetary Fund and Gary Verity of Welcome to Yorkshire.
A commitment to educating the UK has reaped rewards for headteachers, principals and teachers – The people who educate our children have received recognition for their hard work and achievements, making up 11% of the total recipients in this year’s list. 30 Headteachers made it in total, with a knighthood going to Nicholas Weller of Dixons Academies, Bristol, and Francis McLoughlin of City and Islington College.
Philanthropists receive a hearty thank you from The Queen – 101 year old Naim Dangoor’s ‘extraordinary generosity’ over the years has resulted in a much-deserved knighthood, whilst other incredible philanthropists received honours all the way to the top of the scale too.
High achievers in the worlds of Heath, Science and Technology, and Law and Order also made a huge impact on The Queen, who rewarded them generously across the board.
Our much-loved celebrities and sportsmen and women were also recognised for their outstanding work bringing distinction to the UK in ways only they can achieve.
But it was the community champions that really touched our hearts – and The Queen’s.
A staggering 70% of the entire Honours List was made up of gongs given to outstanding members of cities, towns and villages across the UK, who without them would have a bleaker future and 6.9% of honours were given to members of ethnic minority communities.
And finally, The Queen’s Birthday Honours List 2015 would not be complete without mentioning the true spirit of kindness and generosity that is embodied by 21 year old Katie Cutler from Gateshead. Katie (pictured above with Alan Barnes) was rewarded for her charitable fundraising after she raised a phenomenal £300,000 for disabled pensioner Alan Barnes after he was mugged earlier this year. Katie has changed Alan’s life, and for that, The Queen has bestowed Katie with a life-changing award.
If you know someone that has changed life for others, proven their generosity of spirit, made a difference within their realm of work, or brought distinction to the UK, they too could be on the Honours List – you simply need to nominate them to give them a chance of recognition.
Contact us today to find out how to get started.
