The New Year Honours List 2023 marks the incredible public service of individuals from across the UK.
Recipients in the King Charles’ first New Year Honours List have been awarded for their outstanding contributions across all parts of the UK for their work on areas including sustained public service, youth engagement and community work.
Locally, Teresa Josephine Smith receives an honour for services to Thalidomide Patients and Research in Southport.
Also Nigel Wiliam Goodband from Formby, Detective Sergeant, British Transport Police and Chair, British Transport Police Federation. For services to Policing.
Nina Beavers, a director of the UR Potential community interest company, based in South Shore, has been awarded an MBE for services to the community in Blackpool.
The 66-year-old, who lives in Fleetwood, joined UR Potential around 12 years ago after previously working in youth services for Lancashire County Council since the 1980s across the whole Fylde coast.
Meanwhile, CBEs are awarded to Bev Robinson, chief executive and principal of Blackpool and the Fylde College, for services to further education, and Nagesha Dwarampudi Reddy, of Lytham St Annes, portfolio director Labour Market and Plan for Jobs at the Department of Work and Pensions, for public service.
An MBE goes in the New Year honours to Blackpool-based Professor Naseem Naqvi, who, in 2017, founded and established the British Blockchain Association, which specialises in promoting evidence-based distributed ledger crypto technology.
Also awarded an MBE is Sharon Bell of Poulton-le-Fylde, associated services manager at the Department of Work and Pensions, for public service.