Somerset's great and good are among those recognised in the New Year Honours List.

The New Year Honours List 2023 marks the incredible public service of individuals from across the UK.

Recipients in the 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.

Among those in the county to be awarded honours are people in public service, volunteers and members of the emergency and armed services.

Our congratulations to all of the recipients who include:

• Peter William KYLE OBE

For services to Cultural Heritage

Living in Bath, Peter's distinguished international career in the arts and cultural sector spans theatre, dance, arts management and governance as well as education roles. He is former Pro-Chancellor of the University of Westminster, Director-General of the English Speaking Union, Chief Executive of Shakespeare's Globe and the Scottish Ballet, and has served on numerous cultural organisations' boards. Peter has already received an OBE for services to drama in the 2011 New Year's Honours.

His current roles include Chair of the John Ellerman Foundation, Trustee of the Noel Coward Foundation and Governor of the English National Ballet School.

• Eve Coulter SALOMON

For service to the Arts and Heritage

Also in Bath, Eve Salomon is Chair of the Regulatory Board of RICS, responsible for regulating some 200,000 Chartered Surveyors in 146 countries. She is a former Press Complaints Commissioner, Gambling Commissioner and chaired the Internet Watch Foundation until January 2012.

A solicitor by background, she is an international legal expert for the Council of Europe and the author of the UNESCO Guidelines for Broadcasting Regulation. Eve has advised governments, regulatory authorities and international organisations (UNESCO, European Commission, World Bank, Council of Europe) on human rights and media-related issues in dozens of different countries. She has been associated with Ovalhouse, a theatre and youth arts centre in South London, as a Trustee and Member for 30 years and is Secretary of Forest of Dreams, a reforestation charity based in Wales.

• Nolan Andrew SMITH

Services to Higher Education

Living in Portishead, Somerset, Nolan is the Director of Resources and Finance, Office for Students.

He oversees a range of OfS corporate services, including human resources, finance, governance, knowledge and information management, IT and legal services. 

Nolan is also responsible for teaching funding, including funding and student numbers relating to health.

• Dr Jane Karen TOWNSON PHILPOTT

For services to Domiciliary Care, particularly during Covid19

The Chief Executive Officer of the Home Care Association, she lives in Somerton. She has worked tirelessly with determination and courage to address the issues facing the homecare sector before, during and post the pandemic. She has parachuted homecare into the public domain in the last three years by highlighting the challenges, whilst showcasing the incredible work our members do throughout the UK. Her influence with central and local government, the regulators and the media has ensured homecare is recognised so people can live well at home and flourish in their communities, whilst providing a respected voice for the sector.

• John Henry BISHTON

For services to the Preservation of the Historic Buildings

• Denis Andrew Southerden BURN

For services to Charity and to the community in Bristol

In 1988 he co-founded Gimlet, a management consultancy firm. He later became an early internet entrepreneur involved in the creation of eTeach, which remains one of the UK's most used school recruitment platforms.

But his volunteer work started earlier – and continues to this day. He was a founding trustee (and Chair) of MusicSpace, a charity that offers music therapy for people with severe autism. He later founded South Bristol Youth, which works with young people, parents and carers in disadvantaged areas of the city.

Denis was also the champion and founding Chair of Merchants Academy, which is now a multi-academy Trust with more than 3,200 pupils.

Meanwhile, as Chair of the Theatre Royal Trust and later vice-chair of Bristol Old Vic, he was instrumental in raising £25million to fund the building's much-celebrated refurbishment. 

Alongside this he found time to be on the University of Bristol's Board of Trustees, the supreme governing body of the University. He currently lives in Cleeve.

• Susan Anne CROWLEY

For services to Public Libraries

The Strategic Manager Library and Registration Services for Somerset County Council, this Bridgwater resident is responsible for delivering library services across a network of over 34 libraries. Experience of working within a Commissioning led organisation and the integration of library services with the wider range of customer-facing services delivered by the local authority. Chair of the LibrariesWest Board.

• Jeffrey Ronald LIDDIATT

For services to Nuclear Test Veterans and to the community in Bristol

Now living in Portishead, Jeff served in the Royal Air Force for 8 years, his overseas service included RAF Maralinga and RAAF Edinburgh Field in Australia. Jeff was present at RAF Maralinga during the minor trials. When Jeff left the RAF, he retrained as an electronics engineer and joined a programme learning company, the forerunner of computers, working in the commercial and further education field. At age 50, Jeff contracted TB, which meant a long period in hospital.

In the late 80's, Jeff joined the British Nuclear Test Veterans Association (BNTVA) to find anyone he had served with. Whilst working at the BNTVA Jeff has held all the main officer positions, culminating to Chairman in 2016. Jeff has also been active with the NHS and the ambulance service, up until this year he has been serving as a public governor with South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT). Jeff has served on a number of NHS research review panels and is Chairman of the local Patient Participation Group.

At present, Jeff is the Chairman of the Nuclear Community Charity Fund. Jeff worked with Nigel Heaps during the process of bidding for the 25 million pounds from the Government. When the Aged Veterans Fund was announced Jeff was the lead in the negotiations with the grant lead at the AVF to secure the maximum funding available. He also secured the broader political scope for the wider nuclear community, which has enabled the fund to help all in the nuclear family, hence the name NCCF (Nuclear Community Charity Fund). Jeff has maintained a close working relationship with the grant lead and the staff of the grant department at the AFV.

• Penelope Lewis McKISSOCK

From Bath. For services to the community in Somerset

• Janet LEEK

From Winscombe. For services to the community in Shipham, Somerset

• William John MELLERSH

Head Coach, Chew Valley Badminton Club. For services to Badminton in Bristol

From Upper Stanton Drew, Will is the head coach at Chew Valley Badmington. As a junior he represented England at an international level, and was an under-18s European Silver Medallist. Among his achievements as a coach,  he set up the Chew Valley Juniors, supported over 15 juniors to take their level 1 qualification, has taken four teams to the National Junior League Finals at the National Badminton Centre and set up and ran the Avon Development Squad.

• Andrew George SAMUEL

For services to the community in Somerset, particularly during Covid-19

Now living in Taunton, he was one of the founding members of the Wilton and Sherford Coronavirus Community Support Group who was instrumental in setting up a pop-up community shop during the pandemic.

• David William SCOTT

From Williton. For services to Countryside Conservation and to Heritage