Campaigner among Cheshire's recipients in King's Birthday Honours - full list

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The Ellesmere Port co-founder of the National Leasehold Campaign was left "shaking" when she discovered she was being made an OBE in the King's Birthday Honours. Campaigner Katie Kendrick has been recognised for her services to housing and leaseholders.

The 45-year-old, from Netherpool, co-founded the campaign group in 2017 and it is now the largest grassroots organisation fighting to end the controversial leasehold system. Earlier this year, the Government announced that homeowners will have a stake in the ownership of their buildings from day one and not have to pay ground rent under major reforms.

Katie, who became a Cheshire West and Cheshire Labour councillor two years ago, has been honoured along with her co-founders Cath Williams and Jo Darbyshire, also both based in the North West. It's been a proud few weeks for Katie after she was also recently made the town's mayor.

She told Cheshire Live: "When the letter arrived in the post I honestly couldn't believe what I was reading. I was shaking. Never in a million years did I think something like this would ever happen to me. The news still doesn't feel real. From the bottom of my heart I want to say thank you to everyone who believes in me. I will never give up fighting for what is right."

In a statement on behalf of the three co-founders, the National Leasehold Campaign said: "This honour is not just ours; it belongs to everyone who has contributed to this critical movement for change. First and foremost, we would like to express our heartfelt thanks to the committee members and those who nominated us for this prestigious award.

"We would also like to extend huge gratitude to our family and friends, who have given us unwavering support and encouragement throughout this journey. Our commitment to this campaign has meant many hours away from our families and we recognise the sacrifices they have made too."

There were several recipients of honours in Cheshire, including people in education, charity and sport. The two high profile county recipients were darts stars Luke Littler and Luke Humphries who both received MBEs.

The Cheshire recipients in the King's Birthday Honours

Commanders of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)

Nicholas Michael William Smallwood FREng. Lately Chief Executive Officer, Infrastructure and Projects Authority. For services to Infrastructure and Project Delivery. (Malpas, Cheshire)

Officers of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)

Lisa Fathers. Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Bright Futures Educational Trust. For services to Education. (Warrington, Cheshire)

Katie Kendrick. Councillor, Cheshire West and Cheshire Council and Co-Founder, National Leasehold Campaign. For services to Housing and Leaseholders. (Ellesmere Port, Cheshire)

Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)

Jack Adrian Caine. UK Lead Volunteer for People, Scouts UK. For services to Young People. (Crewe, Cheshire)

Marjorie Dutton. Lead Volunteer Akela, Dane Valley Scout Group. For services to Young People and the community in Congleton, Cheshire

Neil Howard Dutton. Group Scout Leader, Dane Valley Scout Group and Chair, Congleton Scout and Guide Liaison Committee. For services to Young People and the community in Congleton, Cheshire

Sue Graves. Children's Author. For services to Children with Special Educational Needs. (Chester, Cheshire)

Luke Humphries. For services to Darts. (Crewe, Cheshire)

Jane Kenyon. Founder, Girls Out Loud. For services to Gender Equality for Women and Girls. (Knutsford, Cheshire)

Luke Littler. For services to Darts. (Warrington, Cheshire)

Dr Vicki Bryony Livesey (Vicki Bryony Worswick). Director, UK Research and Innovation. For services to Industrial Decarbonisation, Carbon Capture and Storage and Net Zero. (Chester, Cheshire)

Ian John Potts. District Commissioner, South West Cheshire Scouts and Group Scout Leader, 26th South West Cheshire Scouts. For services to Young People. (Nantwich, Cheshire)

Michael Llowarch Warburton Flower Viscount Ashbrook. For services to Charity and the community in Cheshire. (Northwich, Cheshire)

Medallists of the Order of the British Empire (BEM)

Kathryn Burgess. Founder, Cheshire Girls Football League. For services to Girls Football in Mid Cheshire. (Northwich, Cheshire)

Paul Kinnersley Nixon. For services to Ukrainian Refugees. (Macclesfield, Cheshire)

Stuart Campbell Plaskett. Crew Manager, Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service. For services to Charity. (Knutsford, Cheshire)

King's Police Medal (KPM)

David Mark Thomason. Detective Sergeant, Cheshire Constabulary. (Cheshire)

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