Black Country heroes awarded British Empire Medal by Lord-Lieutenant on behalf of King Charles III

The Lord-Lieutenant for the West Midlands Derrick Anderson handed out the medals to sixteen people from the West Midlands named from this year’s King’s Birthday Honours and New Year Honours.

Five Black Country residents were honoured for their volunteering and helping others and will forever be able to use BEM after their name.

The Lord-Lieutenant for the West Midlands, Derrick Anderson CBE, who has recently taken up the position, believes the recipients reflect the depth and breadth of caring and goodwill that many people provide in the West Midlands.

He said: “It is an absolute pleasure to bestow the BEM awards upon so many deserving recipients and meet these wonderful people who give so much of their time to make our region a better place.

"They are an inspiration to us all.”

From Wolverhampton Louis Connor Johnson has been fundraising for charity since he was eleven years old, galvanised by his nan being in a hospice and a friend’s illness with cancer. Over 18 different charities have benefitted from Louis’ campaigns including Compton Care and Midlands Air Ambulance.

Home baked cakes and card sales raise much needed funds as do sponsored walks and even taking baths with baked bean. His most recent beneficiaries are Birmingham Children’s Hospital and local charities supporting the homeless. His energy is infectious and he inspires all those around him.

From Dudley Christian Anthony Howard Dixon was recognised for Services to Mental Health in Dudley and the Black Country. A love of the performing arts has enthused Christian to fuse his acting talent and passion for mental health and wellbeing, to create programmes and services that have been transformational to many experiencing complex issues. He established the Arts of Change Trust to augment the delivery of counselling and therapeutic services to young people and adults in the Black Country and has since provided over a million sessions.

During the Covid-19 lockdowns Christian led on developing a groundbreaking toolkit to help parents who would normally meet their children at contact centres, see and communicate with them remotely in a creative way, keeping the children engaged. This has proved to be so successful that with funding from the National Lottery it rolled out nationwide, helping hundreds of families.

Dr Kenneth Austin Smith was recognised for services to the community in Dudley after spending years creating an oasis of calm in Brierley Hill. Transformed from an Urban Farm by Kenneth, the gardens are a hive of community activity with a wide variety of groups growing produce, gardening, conserving wildlife and enjoying tranquility in the midst of urban sprawl.

Produce is regularly delivered to the Black Country Foodbank, allotments are used by local mental health projects to promote wellbeing. Programmes have been developed with schools to understand “seed to plate”, inspiring a future generation of gardeners. Through his singular and entirely voluntary efforts Kenneth has created a safe haven for people to reconnect with the natural world.

From Kingswinford Sundeep Kaur was given a BEM for services to the community in the West Midlands during COVID-19. As well as running her own business, Sundeep is a director of United Sikhs. During the Covid-19 lockdowns Sundeep was able to use her networks to support elderly and vulnerable residents in her local area.

She coordinated the donation and delivery of pallets of food to local hospitals to support staff morale, and also supported the needs of women living in shelters who struggled to meet their basic needs for personal hygiene items and baby good.

She also worked tirelessly to provide hot meals for many who were isolated and alone. Sundeep shares her knowledge in workshops supporting families to improve their well-being and help them deal with the challenges of modern life.

From Halesowen Norma Hyde earned her BEM for services to the Special Olympics Sandwell. For many years Norma was a teacher in a Special Educational Needs School and she runs Special Olympics Sandwell. She has been involved for over 20 years, running an extremely active group with at least two sporting sessions a week for people with a wide range of learning disabilities and ages.

She has inspired a generation of volunteers to support the group and this means that members have been able to attend sporting events at home or away; unique opportunities and experiences grounded in sport.

Members look forward to their activities developing self-confidence and self-esteem through healthy exercise and sport in a safe and controlled environment. For many who find it difficult to access other services in their community the Special Olympics bring focus and routine wrapped up in Norma’s care.