Kings Honours: Help honour our unsung local heroes

There are many brilliant local people who do amazing things in our communities but they very often go unrecognised. They may be doing amazing voluntary work in the community, working tirelessly to safeguard the environment, creating lots of employment in a local company, achieving incredible sporting triumphs or helping people to face and overcome health problems.

King Charles recently published his 2026 New Year’s Honours list and his Birthday Honours will come round again in June. These are very special moments with around 1,200 people in the country being nationally recognised each time.

The honours system has a very long history dating back to the Norman Conquest. It is designed to recognise those in our communities who work tirelessly to make a difference, whether that be through their field of work, long-term voluntary service, leading the way as an innovator or entrepreneur, boosting Britain’s reputation or displaying moral courage.

Recent notable Derbyshire examples include Dianne Jeffrey from the Hope Valley,  recognised for her work with Age International and services for older people, who became  a Dame Commander of the British Empire. Maggie Throup Erewash MP was awarded an OBE for her services in government and particularly as minister for vaccines and public health during the rollout of the Covid-19 booster programme. Chesterfield-born England captain Millie Bright received an OBE for her services to football.

Often, however, the herculean efforts of so many other lesser-known faces go unnoticed. In Derbyshire, it is also the case that fewer people have been recognised for a King’s Honour compared to other counties. The national annual average is 36 per year but Derbyshire’s tally of about 28 means a number of very worthy local people go unrecognised.

The Derbyshire Lord Lieutenant’s Office is looking to change that, as Lord Lieutenant of Derbyshire, Liz Fothergill, said: “There are so many people who work in so many ways to make Derbyshire a better place – whether it’s helping improve the lives of the vulnerable, enhancing the life chances of children and young people, protecting the environment or working to improve the economic prosperity of local communities.

“Nominating someone for an honour is a relatively straightforward process. All people need to do is fill out a nomination form, gather evidence of the impact of the person’s activities and get letters of support from people who know them or have benefitted from their activities. For more information go to www.gov.uk/honours.”

Nominations land first and foremost with the honours committee most appropriate to the work of the nominee, ranging from Arts and Media to Science, Technology and Research. These committees are made up of civil servants and other leaders in their field who are independent of Government.

They are responsible for initial review of the applications, with the main Honours committee then determining whether or not someone deserves honour, and the type of honour. The recommendations are then sent to the King, who awards the honour.

From an application being submitted to the nominee being notified is often a period of more than twelve months; but to receive this highest of national honours is surely worth the wait for the individuals involved and the communities they serve.

National Honours and the efforts they recognise:

• British Empire Medal (BEM): awarded for a ‘hands-on’ service to the local community such as long-term charitable or voluntary activity, or innovative work of a relatively short duration that has made a significant difference.
• Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE): given for outstanding achievement or service to the community that has had a long-term significant impact.
• Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE): provided for a distinguished regional or county role through achievement or service to the community.
• Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE): awarded for a prominent role at national level, or a leading role at regional level, through achievement or service to the community.
• Damehood or Knighthood (DBE or KBE): given for a major inspirational and significant contribution in any activity, usually at national level, over a long period of time.

Liz said: “If you know someone whose efforts deserve to be recognised, please think about nominating them. You might help the person get the recognition they deserve and it will give you a warm glow in doing so.

“Of course not every nomination is successful which is why you should do this in confidence and without telling the person you are nominating, but why not have a go.”

More information is available at www.gov.uk/honours. Alternatively, the Derbyshire Lord Lieutenant’s Honours Panel is on hand to help and give advice at: lieutenacy @ derbyshiredales.gov.uk