Ghouls and Gongs – Halloween honours special
As the candles begin to flicker in carefully crafted jack-o’-lanterns across the world there is an apparitional theme to this week’s blog. Looking back over the Queen’s Honours Lists, there is indeed a collection of ‘hallowed’ MBEs with a haunted connection of one sort or another.
The youngest person on the Honours Lists in 2011, Kirsty Ashton MBE, a fundraiser, who despite suffering from the debilitating neurofibromatosis raised nearly £100,000 for sick children, is making her second appearance on this blog. This most determined of souls gained a significant proportion of this amazing sum of money by coordinating a sponsored sleepover in a haunted house!
Next on the list is one of the Northeast’s most revered radio presenters, Alan Robson MBE. He appeared on list in 1994 for his services to broadcasting. A qualified exorcist, with a Masters in Exorcism from the University of London, he has broadcasted from many haunted locations. If you venture into some of the UK’s most well-known haunted hotspots you may even run into Alan, as he guides a group of followers on one of his haunted walking tours. Before his glittering broadcasting career, during which he received over fifty awards, Alan’s location choice was a little less scary as he was a hugely popular figure on the international stand-up comedy circuit.
Meanwhile, Roderick Hunt MBE, the author of the hugely popular Oxford Reading Tree books, including ‘The Haunted House’, completes this list of three. If you haven’t got young children clawing at your shins you may not be aware that The Oxford Reading Tree is of a series of books used to teach school children to read. First published in 1985, the books are now in widespread use in the UK and overseas. Indeed, current estimates indicate that they are used in 80% of the UK’s primary schools.
It’s no trick when we say that “anyone can nominate anyone” for an honour, but what you must remember is that in order to be rewarded with the treat of a trip to Buckingham Palace, the nominee must have gone above and beyond the call of duty in either their professional or community achievements.
When considering whether to nominate someone for an honour, look not just at their achievements in the context of others, but at the impact of their life and work, and those deserving recipients will soon stand out – no matter who they are and what they do.
For an honest opinion of your nominees chances of success call Awards Intelligence now on +44 (0)1444 230130 or email enquiries@awardsintelligence.co.uk. Our experts can also take of your Queen’s honour nomination to save you valuable time and significantly increase the chances of getting a gong.
Please note: individuals profiled or referred to on this Blog are not necessarily clients of Awards Intelligence.
