COVENTRY health professionals, charity leaders and educators have been recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list.
Michael Mogan has been awarded an MBE after helping to raise tens of millions of pounds for good causes in the city – including for the successful bid to be UK City of Culture 2021.
Mr Mogan, now the head of fundraising at the City of Culture trust, said: “I’m an extremely proud Coventrian and much of the work I have undertaken over the years has benefited the city’s fantastic institutions and organisations.
“As a Coventry City fan and Coventry Rugby Club supporter, as well as being part of the UK City of Culture team, I should be used to the winning feeling by now.”
Four members of staff at the Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust have been awarded honours.
Dr Ashok Roy, a consultant psychiatrist, will receive an OBE.
He specialises in services for people with learning disabilities and has more than 30 years’ experience behind him.
Dr Roy said: “I have been privileged to spend my working life trying to improve services for people with learning disabilities and their families and staff. I am delighted to receive this unexpected honour.”
Alex Cotton, a qualified mental health nurse and now a senior practitioner for the Street Triage Team, has been awarded an MBE.
Ms Cotton has been a driver in two major initiatives – the mental health awareness campaign ‘It Takes Balls to Talk’ and the Street Triage initiative – providing urgent and frontline mental health support.
She said: “I am chuffed. Through my triage work with the police I observed many men who died by suicide never access support from mental health services.
“This became the driving force behind ‘It Takes Balls to Talk’: to support men to talk and to support people to listen.”
Carol Peckham, a registered mental health nurse, was awarded an MBE having spent 35 years developing and managing integrated health and social care services to improve the lives of those described as ‘hard to reach’.
In addition Ms Peckham has given her own time to help less fortunate communities, focusing largely in deprived communities in The Gambia.
Health care assistant Marie Tait won an MBE for the time and expertise she has given to improve patients’ health, welfare and experience.
Beverley Barnett-Jones, a frontline children’s service manager at Coventry Children’s Services, won an MBE for her work with vulnerable young people in the city.
Autumn Tracey Jane Gray, a senior warden working with students at the University of Warwick campus, got an MBE for her services to higher education.
Howard Rose, funding and publicity director at Balsall Common Primary School, has been given a British Empire Medal (BEM) for his services in education.
Margaret Casely-Hayford, chancellor at Coventry University, will receive a CBE for her work in education helping disadvantaged students access funding for university.
She has also worked in law and for notable charities and is known for championing diversity.
