Stockport celebrates local heroes honoured in King Charles’ 2024 Honours List

Stockport residents who picked up CBEs, OBEs, MBEs and BEMs, in 2024 were all welcomed to the town hall by Mayor of Stockport, Cllr Suzanne Wyatt, where they were heralded for their impact on their communities.

The Mayor recognised all the work that the 12 residents had done for the borough over the years in their roles.

“It is an absolute pleasure for me to be able to recognise and celebrate the extraordinary achievements of you all,” she said.

“Stockport is a fantastic place to live and work, and it wouldn’t be the place that it is today without your invaluable service to our borough.

“I want to express my personal thanks and the thanks of the people of this borough to you all for the absolutely incredible work you have undertaken for the betterment of our society, in and around Stockport, and further afield.”:

Cllr Mark Hunter, Leader of Stockport Council said: “It was incredible to hear the stories behind these prestigious honours awarded to our residents.

“Stockport is a place where everyone works together and to have such inspirational people in our community can only benefit our borough today and in the future.”

Elva Brown, from Cheadle Hulme, was awarded an MBE for services to the DVLA for a career that spanned 32 years as an instructor at Reddish and Sale.

Elvas retired two years but felt she didn’t work a day in her career.

“It was a privilege to be with the youngsters every day and try and put them at ease because when you’re doing your test, that really helps,” she said.

“I didn’t work a day in my life because I absolutely loved it, it was a real pleasure.

“I just felt like I was doing my job, so I was really honoured to have been nominated by my peers.”

Stockport Council’s own Head of Youth Justice, Jacqui Belfield-Smith was awarded an MBE in the list announced over the weekend and has been with the council in her role for nearly 20 years, and worked in youth justice for over 25 years.

Jacqui said: "It has been a privilege and an honour to receive this accolade. It was completely unexpected, and I'm thrilled to accept it on behalf of myself and the many colleagues I've worked alongside throughout my career, helping to support children and young people at risk of entering the criminal justice system."

Neville Beischer, from Romiley, was awarded an MBE for his work with Wright Robinson College.
A teacher for 48 years, Neville was nominated by the chair of Governors at the Denton-based school.

“I’m very proud of spending so much time in education and it’s nice to be recognised for helping to shape the lives of many children in the area,” he said.

Isabel Taylor from Heaton Mersey was in attendance after receiving a BEM for 41 years of service to the RNLI, raising more than £650,000 for the organisation.

“I was on holiday with my Mum when the letter came through, and because it said urgent, I got my brother to open it as I didn’t want it to be parking ticket or jury service and my partner said I needed to open it,” she said.

“My Mum saw my reaction when he read it out and I told her that she needed to keep it a secret then she told me that she had a secret and said she knew as the person who nominated me had contacted her to find out about my time when I was growing up in Devon.”

Robert Ashworth, who worked for GMP in Stockport before retiring and joining the force as a civilian, was awarded a BEM for services to GMP.

“I thought it was a wind up when I got the letter,” Robert said, who lives in Cheadle Hulme.

“I rang up Downing Street and said ‘It’s a wind up this’ but I was assured that it was very real, and I had to keep it quiet.

“My kids live in America, and I wasn’t sure when the ceremony would be but they were so excited to meet the Royal Family so we are waiting until they can come over.

“It is a really big honour, but I couldn’t have done it without my missus.”

The event in the town hall recognised the following Stockport residents for being honoured by the King:
• Professor Danielle George – CBE - Professor of Radio Frequency Engineering, University of Manchester. For services to Public Engagement in Engineering
• Stephen Sorrell – MBE - Director, Small Things Creative Projects Community Interest Company. For services to Arts and Culture in Greater Manchester
• Professor Ian Hall – OBE - Professor of Mathematical Epidemiology and Statistics, University of Manchester and Senior Principal Modeller, UK Health Security Agency. For services to Public Health, to Epidemiology and to Adult Social Care, particularly during Covid-19.
• Professor Paul Klapper – OBE - Professor of Clinical Virology, University of Manchester. For services to Viral Diagnostic Testing.
• Neville Beischer – MBE - Chief Executive Officer, Flagship Learning Trust, Manchester. For services to Education
• Jacqui Belfield-Smith – MBE - Head, Youth Justice and Targeted Youth Services, Stockport Council and Chair, Association of Youth Offending Team Managers. For services to Youth Justice.
• Elva Brown - MBE - Lately Driving Examiner, Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency. For services to Road Safety.
• Deborah Brown – MBE - Executive Director, Service Reform, Salford City Council. For services to Local Government.
• Reverend Charles Nevin – MBE - Trustee, The Laurus Trust, Cheadle, Cheshire. For services to Education.
• Robert Ashworth – British Empire Medal (BEM) - Civilian Investigator, Greater Manchester Police. For Public Service
• Dr Amrik Mahal – BEM - Global Head of IT for Research, AstraZeneca. For services to Science and the Covid-19 Response.
• Isabel Taylor - BEM - Committee Member, City of Manchester Fundraising Branch, Royal National Lifeboat Institution. For voluntary services to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.