THE man who brought the Tour de France to Yorkshire - and a York mum who has raised almost a million pounds for charity since her daughter's death - have won top honours.

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Gary Verity, the Welcome to Yorkshire chief executive, has been awarded a Knighthood in the Queen's Birthday Honours for services to tourism and for organising Yorkshire's Tour de France Grand Depart 2014, which came to York.

He said he was 'honoured, delighted and quite frankly stunned' by the award, adding: "In many ways this award is for the thousands of Yorkshire businesses across the county and the millions who turned out to make the Grand Départ one of the most memorable days in the county's history, and a weekend I will never forget."

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Gary Verity, left, and fire chief Nigel Hutchinson

Clare Morrow, Chair of Welcome to Yorkshire, said the honour was richly deserved, adding: "It was his drive and determination which secured the Grand Départ for Yorkshire, and ensured that its potential to showcase Yorkshire to the world was delivered to maximum effect."

Meanwhile Joyce Gee, 68, of Kingsway North, Clifton, has been awarded the BEM (British Empire Medal) for services to children and young people with special needs through The Deanne Gee Memorial Fund in York.

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From left: Malcolm Dawson, Joyce Gee and Patrick Shepherd

She founded the fund in 1980 in memory of her disabled daughter, who had died aged 14, and since then she has used her home as a collection point for items to sell at jumble sales, car boots and table top sales, and has also organised sponsored walks.

The money has helped improve the lives of hundreds of young people, for example by purchasing equipment including motorised wheelchairs and paying for holidays and outings.

She said that when she received an official letter about the BEM, she thought it was a tax letter. "When I saw what it was I thought 'Ye Gods!' It's a great honour and I feel very humbled by it."

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Keith Barley, (above) 64, of Warthill, founder and head conservator of Barley Studio at Dunnington which specialises in stained glass conservation and restoration, has been made an MBE for services to cultural restoration and conservation. He said he was 'surprised and enormously delighted' by the honour.

Nigel Hutchinson, Chief Fire Officer and Chief Executive of North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, who has been awarded the Queen's Fire Service Medal, said it was especially poignant that it came as he reached his 10th anniversary at the helm.

Bruce Reid, 49, of Knaresborough, has been made an MBE for his fundraising services for the Fire Fighters Charity and the community, having helped North Yorkshire win recognition as one of the best fund raising areas in the country and having travelled across the north east, assessing individual requests for support.

Patrick Shepherd, deputy chairman of York building and engineering firm Shepherd Group, which includes Portakabin, has been made an OBE for services to business and charity in York.

His work in the community is carried out on a personal basis with the other trustees of the Patricia and Donald Shepherd Family Trust. Shepherd Group chairman David Williams said the honour was richly deserved recognition for his business leadership and support for worthy causes.

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Andrew Dow, who was head of the National Railway Museum in York between 1992 and 1994 but died earlier this year, aged 71, has been awarded the BEM posthumously for services to railway heritage.

Andrew Wood, formerly executive chef and now food development manager at the University of York, who has previously worked at the London Ritz and as Head Chef at York's Middlethorpe Hall, has been awarded the BEM for services to higher education and university catering.

Celia Todd, 93, who played the organ at All Saints Church in Foston, near Strensall, York, for 75 years, hardly missing a single service, and also served on the parochial church council for a similar period, has been made an MBE for services to the community.

Former police officer Malcolm Dawson, of Huntington, has been awarded a British Empire Medal for his security work spanning more than two decades.

The 59-year-old is head of security at the University of Leeds and is rewarded for services to higher education and students.

He has worked at the university since retiring from North Yorkshire Police in 1990.

"It was a total shock," he said. "I was in disbelief but it's a huge honour. It took a while to sink in at first but it's been great.

"We are all here to make the university a safe environment for staff, students and visitors and working to support student safety is a major part of the work."

The father-of-two's career has seen him pick up numerous awards for his security work, and in 2012 and 2013 he was the first person to be a finalist in the Security Manager of the Year category of the Security Excellence Awards.

Elise MacKinlay of Stillington was made an MBE for voluntary service to St John Ambulance in North Yorkshire. Since becoming involved with the order in 1988 she has worked on national schemes to improve it. She said: "I am very honoured to receive this recognition, which reflects the long hours, hard work and dedication of so many within St John Ambulance."

Robin Garland of Nether Poppleton was made an MBE for his work as chairman of the Project Mala Charitable Trust, which works to improve education for children in India, and give them better lives.

The charity was founded in 1989, and not only provides children with schooling and school equipment and uniforms, but also provides meals and health examinations, along with training in sewing, gardening and food preservation, to give the children a start in industry.

 

Others receiving honours include:

  • CBE: Christopher Harrison of Harrogate, for services to Revenue Protection at HM Revenue and Customs and voluntary service to justice as a JP.
  • MBE: Michael Collins for services to the community in Boroughbridge
  • MBE: Shirley Franklin for services to the community in Driffield
  • MBE: Alexander Denholm, a governor of East Riding College, for services to further education
  • MBE: Alison Harris, of Harrogate, for services to the British Horse Society and to Equestrian Sport in Yorkshire
  • MBE: Bryan Lawrence for voluntary service to scouting in Scarborough
  • MBE: Bridget Marshall of York, Yorkshire county organiser for the National Gardens Scheme for services to charitable fundraising.
  • Queen's Ambulance Service Medal: Bryan Ward, head of education and standards at Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust.

Meanwhile, a York man has been given a knighthood in Malaysia, by the Sultan of Pahang.

Nicholas Pinder - a former Knavesmire School and York College of Arts & Technology student - received the knighthood in a traditional Malay Royal ceremony in Kuala Lumpur on Friday, June 5, for his work as editor-in-chief of the national HOMME magazine, and producing and promoting British Theatre Playhouse.