A mountain rescue volunteer, fundraisers and a professor are among those in Cumbria to be the first to receive a New Year Honour from King Charles III.
The honours system gives national recognition to people who have given exceptional service in public and community life and are committed to making a difference to those around them.
Nick Owen, team leader of Langdale Ambleside Mountain Rescue Team has been awarded an MBE.
Nick, who manages a hostel in the Langdale Valley, joined the team in 1992 after a few years with Kendal Mountain Rescue Team.
He has served the team in a training role, as equipment officer, deputy team leader and was appointed as team leader in 2005.
He met the King – then Prince Charles – in 2019, when the Prince of Wales visited the team’s base to help them celebrate 50 years of mountain rescue in the area.
Roger Mallinson, of Troutbeck Bridge, is chair and boat manager of The Shamrock Trust.
The trust was set up to preserve the Shamrock, built in 1906 and used on Windermere by a Manchester calico magnate.
She is now the only boat of her class in private ownership and regularly used on Windermere.
Mr Mallinson, an engineer and submariner, took ownership of the Shamrock in 1976.
He has been awarded an MBE for his services to steam boating heritage and to the community of Cumbria.
Evelyn Pattinson has been awarded an MBE for charitable services. Mrs Pattinson, of Penrith, founded Eden Riding for the Disabled.
Steven Watts, of Grasmere, has raised millions of pounds for charity and was awarded an MBE for his efforts.
Born in Manchester, he was inspired to change his life when he read about running legend Joss Naylor in 1979 and visited the Lake District.
He met Joss on a visit, who told him “Lad, you need to stop smoking, lose some weight and start running!”
He began running and raising money for several good causes including helping to provide the first body scanner for children in the North West; a new orthodontic centre; an after burns care unit; and trips to Disney World in Florida for terminally ill children.
Marie Hamer, of Penrith, is executive director, strategy and impact, of the Ambition Institute.
The national charity helps schools tackling educational disadvantage.
Mrs Hamer oversees all programme design, research and insights functions, and organisational strategy and planning. She was awarded an MBE for services to education.
Nigel Robson, of Penrith, is chair of the Western Excellence in Learning and Leadership.
Set up in 2019, it is a multi-million-pound project funded by Sellafield Ltd and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.
Its aim is to address inequality in Allerdale and Copeland within education and participating schools are given support and grants to help them tackle the issues facing them.
He was awarded an MBE for services to education.
Sheila Asburner, of the Royal British Legion, was named a Medallist of the Order of the British Empire for services to the community in Milnthorpe.
Professor Joanne Rycroft-Malone, of Grange-over-Sands, was latterly programme director of the health services and delivery programme at the National Institute for Health Research.
She has been awarded an OBE for services to Health and Social Care Research.
Lord-Lieutenant of Cumbria Claire Hensman congratulated all the award winners.
She said: “To be awarded an honour is a huge achievement and I do congratulate all the recipients whose contributions to our communities make such a difference.
“I would encourage people to think about someone that they know who always goes the extra mile for others and who has made an outstanding contribution to their community or to their area of work over the years.
“Anyone can nominate a person for an honour, and I am very keen for people who have given exceptional service to receive the recognition they deserve.”
Awards are given to people from all walks of life.
The final decision as to who receives an honour is first decided by an honours committee and their recommendations go to the Prime Minister and finally to the King for approval.
The process can take up to 18 months with recipients of honours announced in The King’s New Year’s Honours List and Birthday Honours List.
