Presentation of Honours Awards October 2015
At a lunchtime ceremony, held on Tuesday 13 October in the splendour of Bowcliffe Hall, the Lord-Lieutenant of West Yorkshire, Dr Ingrid Roscoe, presented honours awards to deserving members of the public.
The awards were announced in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List and included eight members of the public from the county, who received the British Empire Medal.
The British Empire Medal (BEM) rewards a sustained, local contribution or innovative, high-impact work in the community. The recipients were (in alphabetical order):
- Carolyn Booth, who has been actively involved with the interests of local young people for over 30 years, initially through the Rotaract and Rotary Clubs, as a school governor and then as a leader in the Scouts;
- Robin Clayton, who has worked as a volunteer at the hospital radio station at Seacroft Hospital since 1977 and has also undertaken fund-raising to continue the work of the station, which operates as a charity;
- Ann Corbet, who has been a childminder in Bradford for 21 years and was one of the first to be quality assured with the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years’s Children Come First scheme;
- Margaret Gray; who has inspired many with her work to regenerate Heaton Graveyard, which had become derelict and in a dangerous state, and for her work as a member of the Heaton Township Association, which aims to conserve, protect and promote the amenities of the area;
- John Hine, who is a founder member of the West Yorkshire National Trust Volunteers and who has volunteered his services every other Sunday over a 30-year period to help with the Trust’s conservation work;
- David and Eileen Woodhead, who, for over 30 years, have been instrumental in introducing hundreds of young children to the sport and pastime of fell running;
- Hisako Zafar, who jointly founded the Orient Press company with her husband Abu from their family home in 1972 at a time when there were no other printing companies catering for the Asian community.
At the awards ceremony, the Lord-Lieutenant congratulated the recipients and said that the British Empire Medal was presented to recognise those that had given “outstanding service in their local communities”.
“I never cease to be amazed by the self-sacrifice shown by our Honours award-winners,” said Dr Roscoe. “The award of the British Empire Medal is not just a fitting tribute to them all, but is also much deserved.
“The nominations for the British Empire Medal are subject to a rigorous process before the decoration is given and to hear the award citations of those attending today is truly inspirational.”
Official photography of the awards can be viewed in the Lieutenancy Events gallery section.