Buckinghamshire residents receive honours from The Queen

The announcement of the Queen’s birthday honours was delayed from June as a result of the pandemic.

A number of those receiving honours have been specifically nominated for their work during the pandemic.

These men and women have been singled out in recognition of their work to support key services and communities.

One such person is consultant anaesthetist Dr Nuala Lucas who receives an MBE for services to anaesthesia during Covid-19.

Already a widely respected and extremely experienced expert in the field of obstetric anaesthesia, Nuala has led from the obstetric frontline at Northwick Park, one of the worst affected hospitals in the first wave of Covid-19.

She became resident on call and often took position as the lone registrar on the labour ward at night so colleagues were freed up to support ITU services.

As Honorary Secretary of the Obstetric Anaesthetists' Association (OAA), Nuala led the response to the pandemic, producing national guidance for obstetric anaesthesia, she was the first point of contact for members with queries and set up a successful WhatsApp group to support her colleagues and peers.

Nuala also undertook a national survey of epidural services to assess the impact of Covid and helped initiate OBSCovid, a project to investigate the risk of exposure to Covid on maternity health care workers.

Another Buckinghamshire resident to be recognised for their efforts during the pandemic is Deborah Pargeter.

The headteacher of Tithe Farm Primary School in Leighton Buzzard has been awarded an MBE for services to education but her additional efforts carried out during the pandemic have also been highlighted.

Deborah and her team have supported the most vulnerable families in the school's local community.

They fed over 150 people a day during lockdown, many of whom don't have any ties to the school, including the elderly, isolated and families from other schools.

Under Deborah's lead, the after-school club telephone was recommissioned as a food bank hotline for people to call daily and referrals were taken from local support groups and churches.

A team of volunteers including teachers worked from the school everyday, packing and delivering food parcels to local people, sourcing and organising supplies and helping to care for some of the most vulnerable people in the local community.

Her Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire, Sir Henry Aubrey-Fletcher said: "Buckinghamshire is such a rich and diverse county and there are so many unsung heroes doing wonderful things for the good of their community, often without any expectation of reward or recognition and these Honours are a way of thanking these individuals for the fantastic work they are doing."

Sir Henry added: “In these unprecedented times it is good to see a significant number of Covid -19 related awards and I hope there will be more to come in the 2021 New Year’s Honours List which is due out at the end December 2020”.

The complete list of Buckinghamshire residents in the Queen’s birthday honours includes:

Member of the Royal Victorian Order (MVO)

Mr Joseph Bradshaw - For services to the Buckinghamshire Lieutenancy

Commanders of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)

Lorraine Kelly OBE -Television Presenter. For services to Broadcasting, Journalism and charity

Mrs Anne Main - Lately Member of Parliament for St Albans. For public and parliamentary service

Dr Deborah Morgan - Director, Primary Mathematics, National Centre for Excellence in Teaching Mathematics. For services to Education

Officers of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)

Professor Ann Walker - Professor, University of Oxford and University College London. For services to Academia and the Covid-19 response

Mr Christopher Watts - Lately Deputy Director, National Security, Department for Transport. For public service

Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)

Mr Barry Armstrong - Senior Humanitarian Adviser, Department for International Development. For services to Victims of Humanitarian Disaster

Miss Neeta Atkar JP - Non-Executive Director, British Business Bank. For services to Small Business Finance

Mr Alistair Cameron - For services to the community in Amersham, Buckinghamshire

Mr Darren Gough - For services to Cricket and charity

Mr John Hayday - Security and Business Continuity Director, BT. For services to the Telecommunications Industry during Covid-19

Mr Nasir Khan - Co-Founder, Muslims in Rail. For services to Muslim Representation in the Rail Industry

Dr Dominque Lucas - Consultant Anaesthetist and Lead for Obstetric Anaesthesia, London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust. For services to Anaesthesia during Covid-19

Mrs Deborah Pargeter - Headteacher, Tithe Farm Primary. For services to Education particularly during Covid-19

Mr Philip Richards - For services to the Economy and charity

Mr Jacob Thundil - Founder, Cocofina. For services to International Trade and Exports

Mrs Elizabeth Youens - For voluntary service to swimming in Wendover, Buckinghamshire

Medallists of the Order of the British Empire (BEM)

Mrs Myra Andrews - For services to Performing Arts and Young People

Ms Helen Bewley - Anatomical Pathology Technician and Mortuary Manager, Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust. For services to Pathology during Covid-19

Mr David Brown - General Duties Co-ordinator, RAF High Wycombe. For services to the Royal Aviation Air Force and to Aviation Heritage

Mrs Margaret Gurney - Services Assistant, J Sainsbury's plc. For services to the community during Covid-19

Ms Kurshida Mirza - Volunteer Organiser, Great Get Together Iftar and Truby's Garden Tea

Room (Inter Faith Cafe). For services to Inter Faith and Community Cohesion in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire

Mrs Farzaneh Saadat - Manager, Cecil Court Residential Home. For services to Older People with Dementia

Mr David Saunders - For services to charity in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire

Mrs Valerie Williamson - For services to the community in North Buckinghamshire

The honours system recognises people who have made achievements in public life and committed themselves to serving and helping Britain.

Potential nominees could be involved in charitable or voluntary activity, or be doing innovative work that makes a significant difference in the community. The nomination process is simple using the government's nomination website: https://www.gov.uk/honours/nominate-someone-in-the-ukNominations for specific activities relating to Covid-19 are also open: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-honours-nomination-form