All the North East recipients in King’s Birthday Honours List 2026

Those include Professor Carlos Silvestre Frenk, a Durham University scientist, who is one of the originators of the Cold Dark Matter theory for the formation of structure in the Universe, Allison White, a Newton Aycliffe cancer survivor who set up a support group and Faye Marsh, a Darlington council worker who has changed the lives of a countless number of children in their most vulnerable hours.

The King issues the honours list to publicly recognize and reward exceptional achievements, bravery, and selfless service to the nation. It is a centuries-old tradition that celebrates “extraordinary people” from all walks of life, including local community volunteers, charity workers, innovators, and public figures.

We have compiled a list of all the recipients of awards from the list across the North East and North Yorkshire.

County Durham

• Professor Carlos Silvestre Frenk CBE FRS (Knighthood) Ogden Professor of Fundamental Physics, Durham University.
  For services to Astrophysics and Cosmology – Durham
• Rhiannon Jane Hiles (CBE) Chief Executive, Beamish Museum.
  For services to Museums and to the Culture and Heritage of North East England – Durham
• Dr Colin Mark Richardson (OBE) – Assistant Professor, Northumbria University.
  For services to Firefighter Safety – Lanchester
•  Dr Martin Raby (OBE) – Principal and Chief Executive, The Northern School of Art, Middlesbrough and Hartlepool, North Yorkshire and County Durham.
  For services to Higher Education – Cleveland and County Durham
• John Michael Pearce (OBE) – Lately Director of Children’s Services, Durham County Council. For services to Children and Young People – Durham
• Sundas Khalid (MBE) – Co-Founder and Director, Association of South Asian Midwives.
  For services to Charity and Healthcare – Darlington
• Graeme Michael Black (MBE) – Risk Advisory Assurance Lead, Department for Work and Pensions.
  For services to Young People in the community of Durham – Chester-le-Street
•  Shirley Kathryn Smith (MBE) – Founder and Trustee, If U Care Share Foundation.
  For services to Suicide Prevention – Chester-le-Street
• Reuben Kench (MBE) – Chair, Stockton and Darlington Rail Heritage Partnership.
  For services to Heritage – Stockton and Darlington
• Allison White (BEM) – Founder, Great Aycliffe Cancer Support Group.
  For services to Supporting People with Cancer (Aycliffe, County Durham)
• Faye Marsh (BEM) – Peer Mentor Manager, Darlington Borough Council.
  For services to Children and Young People in County Durham – Spennymoor and Darlington
•  Adrian Richards (BEM) – Police Community Support Officer, Durham Constabulary.
  For services to the community in Chester-le-Street, County Durham – Ferryhill
•  Richard Starrs (BEM) – Project Manager, Stockton and Darlington Railway Bicentenary.
  For services to Heritage – Stockton and Darlington

North Yorkshire

• Ashley John Machin (CBE) – Lately Lead Non-Executive Director, Department for Work and Pensions.
  For Public Service – Ripon
• Rachel Anne Hollis (OBE) – Lately Chair, Professional Nursing Committee, Royal College of Nursing and Honorary Nurse Advisor for Children’s Cancer Care, The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
  For services to Nursing – Ripon
• Linda Maragret Harrison-Simcock (OBE) – Foster Carer, Children’s Services, Leeds City Council.
  For services to Foster Care and to Vulnerable Children – Keighley
• Diane Margaret Heritage (OBE) – Chair of Trustees, New Collaborative Learning Trust.
  For services to Education – Selby
• Allison Kathryn Louise Potter (MBE) – Manager, National Literacy Trust Middlesbrough Hub. For services to the community in Middlesbrough – Guisborough
• Elizabeth Culshaw (BEM) –
  For services to the community in Ingleton, North Yorkshire – Carnforth

North East

• Christopher John Mullin (Knighthood) – Former MP for Sunderland South
  For Political and Public Service – Alnwick
• Samantha Jane Allen (CBE) – Chief Executive, NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board.
  For services to the NHS – Morpeth
• Bernard John ORD (OBE) –
  For services to Industry, to Charitable Causes and to the community in Teesside – Middlesbrough
• Alice Witherow (OBE) – Chief Executive Officer, Cheviot Learning Trust, Northumberland. For services to Education – North Tyneside
• Dr Ian Ritchey FREng (OBE) – Director, Connect Northumberland.
  For services to Engineering – Newcastle
• Alyson Lynn Scurfield (OBE) – Chief Executive, TEC Services Association.
  For services to Technology Enabled Care – Newcastle
• Dominic Robin Crofts Llewellyn (OBE) – Founder and Chief Executive Officer, AchieveGood. For services to the Impact Economy – Newcastle
• John Philip Birkett Marshall (OBE) – Lately Chair, Newcastle Gateshead Initiative.
  For services to the Local Economy in the North East – Morpeth
• Brenda Gillian Bland (MBE) –
  For services to Swimming in Great Britain – Hartlepool
• Paul Anthony Mackings (MBE) –
  For services to Business and the community in the North East of England – Sunderland
• Nigel Frederick Coates (MBE) – Lately Director of the Business Clinic, Northumbria University.
  For services to Higher Education and to Business – Newcastle
• Alison Dunn (MBE) – Chief Executive Officer, Citizens Advice Gateshead and Executive Director, Society Matters CIC.
  For services to the community in the North East of England – Newcastle
• The Reverend Canon Glyn Evans (MBE) –
  For services to the community in Morpeth, Northumberland – Morpeth
• Margaret Anne Lester (MBE) – County Adviser and lately County Commissioner, Girlguiding Durham North and Northumberland.
  For services to Girlguiding – Bambugh
• Geoffrey Hill (BEM) – Chair, RAF Middleton St George Memorial Association.
  For voluntary services to Aviation History – Stockton
• Caroline Tyerman (BEM) – Lately Lead Practitioner, SEND and Inclusion, Brougham Primary School Hartlepool.
  For services to Education – Hartlepool
• Stephen Bunn (BEM) –
  For services to Stroke Victims and to the community in Cleveland, North Yorkshire – Redcar
• Debra Jayne Padgett (BEM) – Pathology Network Operational Lead and Clinical Pathology Lead, Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.
  For services to Biomedical Science in the NHS – Whitley Bay
• Richard Anderson (BEM) – Customs Control Framework Risk and Controls Lead, Borders and Trade, HM Revenue and Customs.
  For services to Charity – Gateshead
• Lynn Hope (BEM) – Lately Head Coach and Manager, Northern Hope Gymnastics Club.
  For services to Inclusive Gymnastics – Washington
• Barbara Scrimshaw (BEM) – Fundraising Organiser, The People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals.
  For Charitable Service – Alnwick

Nationally, The King’s Birthday Honours this year also highlighted a wide range of national figures, led by rugby league great Kevin Sinfield, actress Dame Helen Mirren, and several of England’s Euro-winning Lionesses.

Sinfield was knighted for his extraordinary fundraising and advocacy for motor neurone disease, raising over £10 million inspired by his late teammate Rob Burrow, while six Lionesses, including Chloe Kelly and rising star Michelle Agyemang, received MBEs for their historic football triumph.

Dame Helen Mirren was appointed a Companion of Honour for her outstanding contribution to drama, as nearly 1,200 individuals across sport, arts, charity, and public life were recognised for their impact on British society.

Every effort has been made to include all of the North East and North Yorkshire recipients. If you know of any that have been missed out, please email our newsdesk at newsdesk@nne.co.uk