PRESS RELEASE : Outstanding contributions by British nationals abroad recognised on Overseas and International Honours List [December 2023]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 29 December 2023.

Award-winning singer-songwriter Leona Lewis among those recognised on the Overseas and International Honours list.

One hundred and twenty five people have received awards for their exceptional service to the UK overseas or internationally in His Majesty The King’s New Year Honours List, including for contributions to British foreign policy, international development, voluntary and charitable work.

Richard ‘Dicky’ Evans, Chairman of Hemingways Hospitality Ltd in Kenya is appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) in recognition of his significant and sustained contribution as a British businessman overseas, building 2 hugely successful businesses in Kenya, and his sustained philanthropic contribution to the UK, especially to sport in Cornwall.

Also recognised in the list are a number of British women working in senior positions in the fields of international development and international relations, all of whom are appointed Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) for their exceptional and sustained career contributions. These include: Dr Fiona Hill, Senior Fellow at the Brookings institute in Washington DC; Susanna Moorehead, lately Chair of the Development Assistance Committee at the OECD; Jane Nelson, Director of the Corporate Responsibility Initiative at Harvard University; and Dr Sara Pantuliano, Chief Executive at the Overseas Development Institute.

The Singer and Songwriter Leona Lewis is recognised by being made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in recognition of her significant contribution to music and her philanthropic work. Throughout her outstanding career, she has broken down barriers for female musicians in the UK, and worldwide. She used her platform to raise awareness and funds to support important local, national and global charities.

Sir Philip Barton, Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and Head of the Diplomatic Service, said:

At a time when the world faces many challenges, I am always impressed by the incredible work being done globally. The UK’s impact internationally depends on exceptional people like those honoured in His Majesty’s New Year Honours list. I congratulate everyone receiving an honour and thank them for their dedication and service.

The International and Overseas New Year Honours list also recognises a number of other contributions:

Taban Shoresh

Taban Shoresh, a Kurdish genocide survivor, and the founder of the Lotus Flower, is recognised for an exceptional and sustained contribution to supporting refugees and displaced conflict survivors in the Kurdistan region of Iraq.

With a political activist father during the reign of Saddam Hussein in Iraq in the 1980s, Taban and her family were imprisoned when she was just 4 before they narrowly escaped being buried alive and were flown out of the country by Amnesty International to build a new life in the UK. She later worked in an investment asset management company in London, but in April 2014, everything changed when she saw ISIS waging another genocide in the land of her birth. Giving up her successful career, she returned to Iraq as an aid worker, and upon arrival was delivering provisions to displaced Yezidis trapped on Mount Sinjar.

Back in London in 2016, she launched the Lotus Flower. What started with just her, then her Regional Manager and a burnt-out cabin in a refugee camp has since grown to be an organisation with several safe centres for women and girls, as well as more than 200 local staff. To date the organisation has helped more than 60,000 women, girls and community members through the delivery of projects which support business, education, peacebuilding, well-being and human rights.

On learning of her award, Taban Shoresh said:

I’m very happy and honoured with this recognition. I came here as a refugee at the age of six seeking safety. Fast forward many years and I’m delighted that I get the opportunity to give back and help those in need. I believe with more compassion, empathy and action we can all be change makers in this world.

Paul and Zoe Walker

Paul and Zoe Walker are widely recognised in Belize for working tirelessly towards the conservation of Belize’s endangered species, tropical forests and reefs. They founded their organisation, Wildtracks, in 1990, and continue to lead its activities more than 30 years later. As part of the Wildtracks conservation work, Paul and Zoe established the National Manatee Rehabilitation Centre in 1999 to provide rehabilitation care for orphaned and injured Antillean manatees rescued from Belize’s coastal waters. In 2010 they established the National Primate Rehabilitation Centre for Belize’s Yucatan black howler monkeys and Central American spider monkeys confiscated from the Illegal Wildlife Trade to ensure that these endangered primates can be returned to the wild.

Since its inception in 1990, Wildtracks has responded to numerous wildlife emergencies, rehabilitated 174 primates and returned over 100 back to the wild, reestablishing these species in critical forest areas. Wildtracks also collaborates with the Forest and Fisheries Departments of the Government of Belize and other national and international conservation organisations towards effective and sustainable management of Belize’s natural resources. Their work has brought great credit on the UK and its reputation in Belize and beyond.

On learning of their awards, Paul and Zoe Walker said:

We feel incredibly honoured to have been recognized for the work we do. This reflects the commitment of the Belize Government and the many conservation organisations and individuals we have collaborated with over the years, and of the volunteers and supporters who have made Wildtracks what it is today.

Deborah Edgington

Debbie Edgington is recognised for her outstanding contribution over the last 25 years, playing a crucial role as an elected local official in representing the views, needs and the integration of the British community in Fuerteventura, Spain. She has worked tirelessly to ensure UK nationals understand their rights under Spanish and EU law, and has taken an active role in supporting the large local British population during various crises, as well as during the UK’s departure from the European Union and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Debbie has also worked with the local community to raise over 60,000 Euros to support local charities and, as a Councillor, worked to help build a community centre and arranged regular activities, including free Spanish lessons, to support British nationals and other non-Spanish nationals in the area. During the COVID-19 pandemic for example, her contribution was vital in ensuring that vulnerable British nationals had access to food packages, clothes and emergency accommodation.

On learning of her award, Debbie Edgington said:

It is a great honour and a complete surprise to have been awarded an MBE, I feel immensely proud and humbled. I am always happy to assist others, especially when sometimes these can be the most difficult moments for people, this for me was always easier with the help and assistance I received from the fantastic team of Consulate staff, Las Palmas Gran Canaria.

Helen Banton

​​Helen Banton is recognised with a British Empire Medal (BEM) for her long-term voluntary contribution in support of veterans and to UK relations with local communities in France. For over 20 years, Mrs Banton has been a volunteer and France representative of the Yorks and Lancaster regimental association working on commemoration work. To mark the centenary of the Battle of Bapaume during World War One, she played a significant role in assisting the association organise a wide range of local events and help facilitate local arrangements to allow veterans and family members to travel to northern France to commemorate the occasion. Notably, and of more lasting effect, has been Mrs Banton’s dedicated and committed work to organise, largely single handed, the provision of a new disabled and access road to a series of World War One memorials including the Sheffield Memorial Park, Accrington Pals Memorial the Serre Road Cemeteries, near Puisieux in the Somme.

On learning of her award, Helen Banton said:

I am thrilled and humbled to accept this Honour on behalf of all those who work behind the scenes to keep alive the memory of our brave boys who gave their lives for our peace and freedom and those who continue to preserve it.