A New Year’s Honour’s Joy

Dr. Joy Philippou, a dear member of the Bromley community, has been appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours list. She was one of only three people invited to Downing Street last week in order to share her story at a briefing in the Cabinet Office.

We congratulate her on her privileged appointment and pray that God’s will be done through the doors that will be opened as a result.

You can see mainstream media headlines and mentions of Dr Philippou’s acheivement at the following webpages:

Rapping pensioner Dr Joy Philippou and politicians Joan Ruddock and Jeremy Kite among those named on new year’s honours list

December 31, 2011

Dr Joy Philippou has been made an MBE for voluntary service to young people

A RAPPING pensioner and two politicians are three of the people from the News Shopper area named in the new year honours list.

Dr Joy Philippou, from Bickley, has appeared on X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent as well as held rap competitions for youths at the House for Lords.

And now the 82-year-old is set to appear at Buckingham Palace after becoming a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for voluntary service to young people.

Labour MP for Lewisham and Deptford, Joan Ruddock, has become a Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) for public and political services.

And the Conservative councillor Jeremy Kite, who has been the leader of Dartford Council for the last six years, has been appointed MBE.

Companions of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the region include the chief executive of youth charity YouthNet Fiona Dawe, from the Bromley area, and England’s communication champion for children Jean Gross, from the Lewisham area.

They also include Michael Wells, from West Wickham, the director of the risk and intelligence service at HM Revenue and Customs.

People to have been made OBE – Officer of the Order of the British Empire – include Home Office policy adviser on domestic violence Samantha Darby, from Eynsford, and senior team leader at the Department of Health’s NHS equality team Raymond Warburton, from the Lewisham area.

David Lewis, from Thamesmead, has been made an MBE for services to the community in south east London and Bakhshish Singh Sodhi has received the honour for his work to improve race relations in Gravesend.

Other people to have been made MBE include Linda Phillips, from the Penge area, who is the founder and director of the Roots and Shoots charity.

She has been honoured for her work with young people.

Department of Health genetics team member Margaret Straughan, from Charlton, has also received the honour as has the general editor of the National Maritime Museum Dr Pieter Van Der Merwe.

He has been honoured for services to heritage and the local community of Greenwich.

MBEs for ordinary people who did extraordinary work - New Year Honours: Unsung Heroes

Nigel Morris December 31, 2011

A former dinner-lady, a student, a caretaker, stonemason and a puppeteer are among ordinary people who did extraordinary things, alongside the familiar array of celebrities, sports stars and civil servants. Seventy per cent of recipients have been recognised for “outstanding work in their communities”, often as volunteers.

Jeanette Orrey inspired Jamie Oliver’s healthy eating in schools campaign after she transformed the menu at St Peter’s school in East Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, and encouraged pupils to eat organic food.

Mrs Orrey said she was “humbled and shocked” at her MBE. She has written two books on her experiences and is planning a third.

Kirsty Ashton, a 21-year-old student from Manchester, combines her studies and coping with serious health problems with raising tens of thousands for charity. The MBE is for her work for When You Wish Upon A Star, which pays for sick and terminally ill children to go on holiday.

Another 21-year-old, Robyn Keeble, from Rainham, Essex, is appointed MBE for her work in encouraging teenagers to become involved in their communities.

A lifetime of charity work is recognised with an MBE for Joy Philippou, who is now focusing on helping young people to leave gangs. Ms Philippou, 83, from Bromley, Kent, created the STAR Foundation to recognise young adults who are ‘sociable, trustworthy and responsible’.

A caretaker, Robert Owen, is appointed MBE for services to the community in Holyhead, Anglesey, along with Mary Watt, who is rewarded for services to Highland dance teaching in Ross-shire.

Specialist skills are recognised in MBEs for the stonemason Alan Horsfield for his work on St Paul’s Cathedral and to the puppeteer Lyndie Wright, of the Little Angel Theatre in Islington, north London.

New Year honours list reflects my aims for ‘big society’, says David Cameron

Stephen Bates December 30, 2011

PM claims charity workers given honours support his policy, but Labour attack award of KBE to Tory donor and hedgefund boss

New Year honours included the award of a CBE to the actor Helena Bonham Carter, who played the Queen Mother in The King’s Speech. Photo: Ian Gavan/Getty

David Cameron has pointedly enlisted the New Year honours list, published today, in the service of his “big society” initiative, claiming the community and charity workers among the usual celebrity arts and sporting recipients as supporters of the policy.

Among those receiving high-profile awards are the entertainer Ronnie Corbett and Helena Bonham Carter, fresh from playing the Queen Mother in The King’s Speech. They both receive CBEs.

Joan Ruddock, the former CND leader turned Labour MP, becomes a dame, and the businessman Gerald Ronson, once jailed for his part in the Guinness scandal, completes his rehabilitation with the a CBE for his charity work. Jonathan Ive, the British-born designer of the iPhone, iPad and iPod, receives the KBE.

Announcing the list of 984 recipients, the Cabinet Office said: “The vast majority of people recognised include those supporting the big society by making a real difference to their local community through volunteering, fundraising, social action and philanthropy.”

Officials claimed that although honours are recommended by an independent committee, the list reflected the prime minister’s “strategic agenda”.

Labour immediately attacked the award of a knighthood to the hedgefund executive and major Tory donor Paul Ruddock for his philanthropic work. Michael Dugher, the shadow Cabinet Office minister,

said: “David Cameron promised to clean up politics, but in office he has shown he is utterly out of touch with decent British people. He’s giving a knighthood to Paul Ruddock, who made millions from the collapse of Northern Rock and has given over half a million pounds to the Tories.

“This tells you everything you need to know about the Tories’ priorities. At a time when millions of families are struggling to get by, it’s the Tories’ friends in the City who get the rewards.”

The award of honours for community service has been common for many years, but it is highly unusual for them to be tied so overtly to a political agenda.

Three recipients brought along to tell their stories at a briefing in the Cabinet Office expressed surprise that their work had anything to do with government policy. “There are absolutely no political implications to what I do,” said Joy Philippou from Bromley, south London, who has been awarded an MBE at the age of 83 after spending decades helping young people to move away from crime and gang culture, motivated by her religious faith. “I started doing this long before that.”

Nearly 600 MBEs and 241 OBEs are being awarded – 70% to those involved in community work – together with 27 knighthoods and 94 CBEs. Women make up 43% of recipients and 12% of the awards are to candidates from ethnic minorities – a higher proportion than usual.

Among the knights are Peter Bazalgette, the television producer best known for the Big Brother show, Jeremy Heywood, the incoming cabinet secretary at 10 Downing Street, the poet Geoffrey Hill, the church historian Diarmaid Macculloch, the diabetic specialist Stephen Bloom and Aston Villa’s former chairman Doug Ellis, for his charitable donations, as well as the veteran Tory backbencher and former Blue Peter TV producer Roger Gale and Bob Russell, Lib Dem MP for Colchester.

Damehoods go to the author Penelope Lively , the former Labour MP Lady Hayman, now the first elected speaker of the House of Lords, Julie Moore, chief executive of the University Hospital Birmingham NHS foundation trust, Glynis Breakwell, vice-chancellor of Bath University and Moira Gibb, chief executive of the London borough of Camden.

From the media and the arts, there are CBEs for the poet Dannie Abse, the writer and former Observer television critic Clive James and the novelist Rachel Billington. OBEs go to the Sky News journalist Alex Crawford, following her reporting from Tripoli during the Libyan uprising, and Lorraine Kelly, the television presenter.

Crawford said: “I am staggered and honoured and can’t quite believe this is not a prank thought up by one of my more mischievous colleagues.”

There are CBEs for Paul Smith, founder of Celador, the TV production company responsible for Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, and Steve Lillywhite, the record producer for bands including the Rolling Stones, U2 and the Smiths.

Sporting awards go to the golfers Rory McIlroy – an MBE aged 22 after he became the youngest winner of the US Open in 88 years – and Darren Clarke, an OBE at 42 after winning the British Open. The former cricket umpire Dickie Bird receives an OBE to add to his MBE and Giles Clarke, chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board, gets a CBE.

Chris Paterson, Scotland’s most capped rugby international, gets an MBE and the veteran broadcaster and football commentator Stuart Hall achieves an OBE at the age of 82 and Nigel Mansell, the former Formula One world champion, gets a CBE for his work as president of UK Youth.

Among less well known recipients is Christopher Preddie, 24, a north London former gang member awarded an OBE for his work for Crimestoppers, dissuading youngsters from crime.

His brother was shot and two distant cousins are in jail after being convicted of the murder of the schoolboy Damilola Taylor. Preddie said: “When I got the letter, I thought, why me? I used to think I was hard done by, wandering round with my trousers round my bum, but I now show young people how they can aim higher in their lives.”

The award did not please Damilola’s father, Richard, who said: “I think there should be stricter rules. He’s a cousin of the killers of my son. I don’t think honours should be given to such people.”

Joy Philippou awarded MBE in the New Years Honour List

December 31, 2011

Also in the new years honours list is Joy Philipppou who was awarded the MBE Dr Joy Philippou, from Bickley, has appeared on X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent as well as held rap competitions for youths at the House for Lords. And now the 82-year-old is set to appear at Buckingham Palace after becoming a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for voluntary service to young people.

The distinguished Cypriot philosopher, pedagogue and writer, Dr Joy Philippou. is also thev President of The S.T.A.R. Foundation (Sociable, Trustworthy And Responsible) includes in its activities the honouring of artists who have excelled in their careers as well as having offered their services to charity.