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Footballer Marcus Rashford has urged the government to extend its provision of free school meals as he accepted an MBE on the Queen’s birthday honor roll.
The Manchester United and England striker has been honored for his efforts to ensure that no children go hungry during the summer holidays, forcing the government to change food vouchers, and on Friday he asked Boris Johnson to extend the plan during Summer holidays. medium term break.
He said, “When I was a young black man from Wythenshawe, I never thought I would take an MBE, let alone an MBE at the age of 22.” It was a “very special moment” for him and his family.
But he added: “The fight to protect our most vulnerable children is far from over. It would be an injustice to my community and the families I have met and spoken with if I did not take this opportunity to respectfully urge the Prime Minister, who recommended me for this honor, to support our children during the middle of October. term with an extension of the voucher scheme, as the license scheme comes to an end and we face rising unemployment. “
Postponed since June to include people on the front lines of the fight against coronavirus, the honor roll reflects a nation’s appreciation to the heroes of Covid-19 for countless selfless good deeds during the pandemic.
Johnson said: “This year’s honorees are a testament to the kind of country we are: caring, compassionate and determined in the face of a global pandemic. The hard work and dedication of these often anonymous local heroes has kept us going. I congratulate you all ”.
Most of the honors go to ordinary people for their extraordinary efforts, with 414 of the total 1,495 for those on the front lines.
However, with the possibility of a public inquiry into the government’s handling of the coronavirus crisis, the honors committee has struggled to steer clear of anyone whose role may subsequently be viewed as controversial.
Joe Wicks, 35, aka Body Coach, becomes an MBE for helping kids stay active and mentally fit with his online PE lessons and raising £ 580,000 for the NHS. He said, “To all the kids, the parents, the ladies at dinner, the school teachers, everyone who participated in any of my trainings, thank you for being there.”
Derrick Evans, known as Mr Motivator, who created online home exercises during the confinement, thought he was being ripped off when first asked if he would accept his MBE and said it was “wonderful to be recognized in this way.”
Rapper Lady Leshurr, awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) after releasing a song to remind people to wash their hands, said: “I can’t believe the Queen of England noticed and praised the Queen of England. the grime. “
Away from Covid-19, there are damehoods for former Great British Bake Off judge Mary Berry and actress Maureen Lipman. Berry said she was “overwhelmed.”
Singer and actor Tommy Steele, actor David Suchet, known for his role as Hercule Poirot, and Phil Redmond, the creator of Grange Hill and Hollyoaks, become knights.
Sir David Attenborough, who was knighted in 1985, is now a Knight of the Grand Cross of the Order of St. Michael and St. George. British fashion designer Paul Smith, knighted in 2000, has been made a Companion of Honor, the highest honor.
There’s CBE for Professor Brian Cox, TV host Lorraine Kelly, actor Adrian Lester, and singer-songwriter Joan Armatrading.
Armatrading, who moved from Saint Kitts to Birmingham at age seven, said of accepting the honor: “Sometimes people talk about the days of empire. I think people have long forgotten that that was the association. “The honors were simply” a country that recognizes its citizens, “he added.
The government said this year’s list was the most diverse in honors history, with black and ethnic minority recipients making up 13% of the total, up from 12% in 2019. Healthcare workers make up the 14%, including 41 nurses and midwives.
However, critics expressed concern about the continuing “colonial nostalgia” about the honors system. Mike McKie, the founder of Bayleaf Honors, who provides advice and support to people making a nomination for the Queen’s honors, said: “Does the word empire make the process inaccessible or, worse, distressing to prospective? nominated? Do people of color have the same chances as their white counterparts to be considered for some of these awards in the first place? “He echoed calls made in the past to replace the world’s” empire “with” excellence. “
A total of 4,000 nominations were received from the public as of May, surpassing the number that Cabinet normally receives in a year. Dame Louise Casey, chair of the volunteer services and community honors committee, said this was “indicative of the public’s desire to recognize and celebrate people.”
One of the oldest recipients is Dabirul Islam Choudhury, 100, who becomes an MBE. He raised £ 420,000 for the NHS by walking 970 laps around his garden in Bow, east London, during Ramadan. “I am proud that I have been honored for the efforts I have made,” he said.
Margaret Payne, 90, of Lochinver, who climbed the 731-meter-high Suilven Mountain on her ladder to raise £ 430,000 for charity, receives a BEM. “All those little donations have added up to a huge sum and it’s incredible,” he said.
Ashleigh Linsdell, 30, a Cambridge NHS nurse who started For the Love of Scrubs to make a kit for frontline workers, becomes OBE. More than 70,000 volunteers helped manufacture 1.2 million PPE items and 1 million face covers. “I cried when I found out,” he said of his honor.
In education, Matt Hood receives an MBE for his lead role in founding Oak National Academy, a set of online resources for schools that includes a bank of video lessons to aid remote learning offered by schools during closing.
Katharine Birbalsingh is named a CBE for her work in founding the Michaela Community School in Brent in 2014, which has since achieved excellent test results. Birbalsingh said the honor was a tribute to her staff and to Michaela Emanus, her inspiring colleague who died in 2011 and who is named after the school. “This honor goes to her and the entire team at Michaela Community School, and it is so beautiful that the work we have done on her behalf has been recognized in this way.”
The Cabinet Office said this year’s list was the first to have up to 11% beneficiaries under the age of 30, with Theodore Wride being the youngest at 16. Theodore receives the BEM for service to his community in Sunderland during the pandemic.
There are 740 women on the list, 49% of the total, which is lower than the 50.7% seen on the New Years honors list last year. Six percent of the people honored this time consider that they have a disability.
