Buckingham residents recognised in New Year Honours List

Two people from Buckingham have been honoured in the New Year Honours List 2023, which marks the public service of individuals from across the UK.

Recipients across all parts of the UK have been awarded for their outstanding contributions for their work on areas including sustained public service, youth engagement and community work.

Robin Faccenda, former chairman of Faccenda Investments, was made an OBE for services to the UK poultry industry and to education.

Faccenda Group, established by Robin Faccenda in 1962 to supply fresh chicken products, grew to become the second-largest chicken processing company in the UK.

In 2018, Faccenda Foods merged with Cargill to create Avara, one of the UK's biggest food businesses, supplying chicken and turkey to some of the country’s biggest supermarkets and restaurants.

Cynthia Tooley was made an MBE for services to business, mentoring and charity. Cynthia is the founder of Jedidiah Pantry, on Castle Street, a free food pantry that gives away surplus food from the town’s supermarkets to anyone who is struggling to afford food.

Cynthia, originally from Nigeria, is a successful entrepreneur and TV cookery show judge who already has a British Empire Medal, awarded in 2017 for services to business and the community, after she began mentoring teenagers at schools and universities about becoming entrepreneurs.

She previously set up the charity Jedidiah in Hertford, before moving to Buckingham this year with her two children, when she married University of Buckingham vice-chancellor James Tooley.

As well as redistributing surplus food from supermarkets, during lockdown Cynthia and volunteers also delivered more than a million food parcels to families in the Hertford area.

Cynthia, who owns a successful cake business, has also set up cookery classes for people who want to learn basic skills but cannot afford to pay for classes.

She is also running a Charity Baking Academy, offering 10-week courses for those who want to learn the skills to make cakes as a business.

Cynthia is a TV cookery show judge on Food Network Canada and has appeared on cookery programmes on BBC2 and Channel 4.