Thanks Ma'am: Charity volunteers, professors and the woman who organises royal visits all honoured in the Queen's Birthday list

One of the recipients Mavis Shepheard, from South Hinksey, has worked behind the scenes for 30 years allowing thousands of people to catch a glimpse of Her Majesty and many other members of royalty.

The 59-year-old has been awarded a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order for personal service to the monarchy.

She said: "It has been amazing fun and I feel very privileged to have been able to go to so many different parts of the county on all levels with various royal visits."

Several others have also been recognised across the county including Scout Association deputy UK chief commissioner Tim Kidd OBE from Abingdon, Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service watch manager Charles Williams BEM and and Parents and Children Together (PACT) charity trustee Diana Hasting.

Mr Kidd has dedicated a lifetime to his work with the Scouts Association from being a cub as a young boy to becoming deputy UK chief commissioner.

He said it was a "jaw-dropping moment" when he found out of his honours, which this year coincides with Her Majesty's 90th birthday.

A devotion of 17 years as a trustee supporting volunteer adoption agency PACT has seen Sutton Courtenay resident Mrs Hasting awarded an MBE.

The 79-year-old has been a long-running supporter of the charity and helped with many of its community projects including Alana House - supporting vulnerable women.

Mr Williams has been awarded the British Empire Medal for his services as a firefighter in the county doing a job he loves.

The watch manager for Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service in Burford has dedicated 38 years to fighting fires following in the footsteps of his father Charlie Snr. 

MAVIS SHEPHEARD

FOR THREE decades she has been the lady behind many royal visits to our county, but now Mavis Shepheard MVO will get the chance to be treated like a queen.

Ms Shepheard, the former 'right-hand man' to Oxfordshire's Lord lieutenants, has been awarded an LVO as part of the Queen's Birthday Honours.

For 30 years, the 59-year-old has been the left lieutenancy officer and has been recognised with the Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order is given for personal service to the monarch.

Ms Shepheard, from South Hinksey, said: "For 30 years I was involved in organising royal visits to Oxfordshire and one that stands out the most was when the Queen visited for the Maundy service at Christ Church in March 2013 - that was absolutely lovely.

"I think generally was so lovely to meet lots of people from across the county and have this award to recognise that is wonderful.

"I never imagined I would meet so many members of the royal family, for example the countess of Wessex came to Oxford Food Bank which was just a little warehouse unit in Botley and she was great talking to everybody."

Ms Shepheard worked for 40 years with the Oxfordshire County Council and for the last thirty years as the left lieutenancy officer for Hugo Brunner and most recently Tim Stevenson.

After 15 year’s service Ms Shepheard was awarded an MVO for her commitment to the role and was awarded the honour at Buckingham Palace by Her Majesty The Queen.

She said: "I was awarded the MVO after 15 years in 2001 and was invited to Buckingham Palace which was absolutely amazing to receive the honour from The Queen herself.

"She did speak to me but I couldn't you what she said, it was a bit of a feeling of being in ore.

"I just feel so thoroughly honoured to have received the LVO and I am absolutely delighted."

Ms Shepheard will be invited to Buckingham Palace for a ceremony to be awarded the LVO by a member of the royal family.

DIANA HASTING

ONE dedicated trustee who has given 17 years to an adoption agency, has been award an MBE.

Diana Hasting, from Sutton Courtenay, has been recognised in the Queen's Birthday Honours which this year coincide with the Queen's official 90th birthday.

The 79-year-old is a long-standing supporter of Parents And Children Together (PACT) and many of the projects community – such as Alana House – connected to the charity which helps families through adoption and therapeutic support.

Mrs Hasting said: "The Diocese Synod held an open day for new members and when I saw PACT I just thought this is for me.

"My own children were looked after by a step parent and I myself looked after step children, so with PACT I felt I knew how it could feel for adoptive parents.

"I have now been involved with PACT for 17 years, it was originally named Oxford Diocesan Council for social welfare which actually formed in 1911 so has just turned 105 years old.

"It is not just a volunteer adoption agency but also has a very large part of community work.

"I am obviously extremely proud and it is an amazing honour to be rewarded."

The former 10 Downing Street "garden room girl" secretary has played a part in helping set up many community projects over the years, most recently including the Bounce Back 4 Kids.

The programme provides therapy for children who have witnessed domestic violence, not necessarily as victims, and has helped more than 100 children in the six years it has been running.

Mrs Hasting has also played a vital role in developing the PACT fundraising strategy which this years includes the Rackets and Rosé Tennis tournament, Oxford Playhouse gala in September and Bridge Day in November.

Not to mention helping distribute for the Poppy Appeal, a volunteer for the Parish Church Council and a volunteer for Victim Support.

Mrs Hasting will be officially be awarded the honours by a member of the royal family at a ceremony yet to be announced.

TIM KIDD 

A LIFETIME of service to the Scouts which saw an eight-year-old cub rise to Deputy UK Chief Commissioner has today earned Tim Kidd an OBE.

The 54-year-old, who now lives in Abingdon, said it was a "jaw-dropping moment" when he opened the official-looking letter which he had suspected of being a parking ticket to discover he was being recognised in the Queen's Birthday Honours.

He said: "I love what I do with the Scouts so it's just great it's being officially recognised."

Mr Kidd said his journey with the Scouts began when he was growing up in Old Marston, Oxford, and his mother packed him and his twin brother off to cubs.

But he insisted that in the past 40 years the movement had kept up-to-date with modern youth.

Asked whether he thought Scouting was a little outdated in the age of mobile phone apps and Facebook he said: "Absolutely not.

"My view is we are needed now more than ever to give young people the skills to navigate modern life; skills of communication and leadership as well as outdoor skills."

Not only have Scout numbers been steadily increasing nationally for the past seven years, but Mr Kidd said Oxfordshire now has more Scouts than ever before.

He said: "We've worked very hard to make sure the program we offer young people which is exciting.

"The activities just need to grab the kids' attention."

The one thing stopping the Scout movement from growing even more, he said, was a national shortage of adults volunteering as leaders.

Find out more about local opportunities at oxonscouting.org.uk

CHARLIE WILLIAMS 

A FIREFIGHTER said he felt "humbled" after receiving a British Empire Medal as part of The Queen's birthday honours.

Charlie Williams, Watch manager for Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue service in Burford, said the news was "completely out of the blue" and added it was a "real bonus" for doing a job he loved.

The on-call firefighter, who has been in the service for 38 years, said he joined because he wanted to follow the footsteps of his father Charlie snr, and uncle who were also firemen.

The 59-year-old father thanked his wife Helen and their two daughters Katie, 34, and Becky, 30, for "putting up with the unexpected" due to him being on-call 24 hours, seven days a week.

The motor repair shop owner added: "I'm quite humbled by it. I was very happy that I was considered for it.

"At the end of the day I do the job because I get paid to do it. It's a bonus really.

"The job is immediate being on call. You need to drop everything and set off straight away, because someone needs your help.

"I have to thank my family for all the times we have been going out for dinner or for the day and the alerter has gone off."

CLAIRE WILLIAMS 

DEPUTY team principal for Williams F1, Claire Williams has been appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire [OBE] in the Queen's birthday's honours list.

Ms Williams, who works from the team's factory in Grove, was given the honour for her services to Formula One.

The 39-year-old, who is currently preparing for the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal, said everyone involved in Williams F1 could take credit for the recognition.

She added: "Today is a very proud day for me, but this is also a bit of a surprise.

"To be recognised in this way is a tremendous honour but one everyone at Williams can take credit for.

"I’m extremely lucky that I get to do a job that I love. To be able to play a role in a family legacy is an enormous privilege and one I don’t take for granted. Formula One, and Williams, are great success stories for the UK.

"I will continue to use my role to help showcase what a great sport Formula One is, what a brilliant platform for this country’s expertise in high class engineering it is, as well as a place that welcomes women across all of its disciplines."

In her role as deputy team principal, to her father Sir Frank Williams who founded the team, the team has returned towards the front of the grid in Formula One, moving from ninth in the Constructors’ Championship in 2013 to third place in 2014 and 2015.

She has also used her position as a woman in a traditionally male-dominated industry to encourage more women to consider careers in engineering and technology.

DAVID CLARY

AN OXFORD professor who advised diplomats and championed UK science abroad, has been given a knighthood.

David Clary, president of Magdalen College since 2005, was recognised for his "services to international science" in the Queen's Birthday Honours.

The father-of-three was the first chief scientific adviser to the Foreign Office from 2009 to 2013, a role that saw him travel abroad and advise the Foreign Secretary, ministers, ambassadors and officials.

He is also a leading theoretical chemist and has pioneered research into the quantum dynamics of chemical reactions.

Speaking yesterday Prof Clary said he was "thrilled" to receive the honour and was looking forward to telling his wife and three sons.

The 63-year-old, who recently escorted Prince William during a visit to the college, added: "I am really delighted, it is a terrific honour.

"I was in my office when I opened the letter and it was a real surprise."

ERICA GASSOR

A BIKER, who also helps provide a life-changing service by delivering blood to the county's hospitals, has been recognised in the Queen's Birthday Honours.

Motorcycle enthusiast Erica Gassor, has been given The British Empire Medal for her work with SERV OBN, which provides a rapid response medical transport service in Oxfordshire and neighbouring counties.

The 64-year-old, who also runs the Oxford branch of the Honda Owners Club, said she was "gobsmacked" to receive a letter from the Cabinet Office telling her of the honour.

She said: "It was amazing to get the letter and I was completely surprised because I didn't think I was doing anything out of the ordinary – just doing the things that need to be done.

"I have been very blessed in my life and so I felt the need to give something back.

"My husband also had a stroke 10 years ago and I wanted to give something back to the hospitals that cared for me and kept him with me."

Mrs Gassor, who lives in Thatcham, is also a church leader, helps out at a food bank and works for a Berkshire counselling service.

RONALD GREEN

RONALD Green has today been awarded a British Empire Medal for decades of services to the villages of Southmoor and Kingston Bagpuize.

In the 56 years since he and his wife Elsa moved to Southmoor, Mr Green has served on the parish council, district council, village hall committee and as a school governor.

He also helped raise the money to get the village hall built in the first place and helped negotiate the route of the A420 through the parish.

At the age of 79, he still helps manage the village hall which is serving an ever-growing committee as hundreds of new homes are built in the parish.

He said it was a "total surprise" to receive the honour and added: "I think it's nice that over the years someone has come back and said Ron Green has done a lot for the village."

DAVID PALFREYMAN

AN OUTSPOKEN critic of the university system and prolific publisher of "a whole lot of boring books" has become an Officer of the Order of the British Empire.

David Palfreyman, 62, has been the Bursar of New College at Oxford University since 1988 and was made an OBE for services to higher education.

The father-of-two from Bampton, who also regularly lectures on the topic, most recently co-authored Reshaping the University, which criticises the increase in university tuition fees in the past few decades and explores the value for money students get.

The former The Queen's College student said: "It all needs re-thinking in the context of the student becoming the consumer, compared to with my day, when it was free.

"I am outspoken and mercurial and I'm not a safe pair of hands. The OBE is certainly not a reward for being an establishment figure, I'm pleased to say."

NICK WAY 

HELPING preserve more than 1,500 privately-owned historic homes across Britain for over a decade has earned Charlbury man Nick Way an OBE.

The former director general of the Historic Houses Association was awarded in the Queen's Birthday Honours for "services to the conservation of the UK's architectural heritage".

And despite stepping down from his role with the HHA in November after ten years, the 60-year-old is still working.

As well as sitting on the board of the English Rural Housing Association, which provides affordable homes in villages across the south east, Mr Way is also a trustee of Sulgrave Manor, Northamptonshire, former seat of the Washington family.

The father-of-three, who has lived with his wife Sue in Charlbury for 24 years, said: "I was surprised to receive the honour because normally you don't receive one for doing your job to the best of our ability."

But he added: "I think it might be because alongside my job I also worked with a charity called the Heritage Alliance, which is an overarching body for heritage bodies in the UK."

Mr Way said his proudest achievement with the HHA had been helping families who happened to live in historic homes which require costly upkeep to access funds to enable them to keep living there, often while opening parts of their house to the public.

He explained: "What sets the HHA apart from the National Trust or English Heritage is that the majority of our 1,640 member houses and gardens are still lived in by families: you see the buggy by the front door when you walk in.

"You can feel these are homes that are still lived in and I'm proud of helping to keep them as homes, as lived-in places."

During his directorship, the HHA managed to persuade the Heritage Lottery Fund to start offering maintenance grants for repairs to parts of historic homes that are not yet open to the public, often on the agreement that they will be opened for the public to view after refurbishment.

Among the association's member houses in Oxfordshire are Broughton Castle near Banbury, Stonor Park near Wallingford, Kelmscott Manor near Faringdon and, most famous of all, Blenheim Palace.

As Mr Way puts it: "We've really got some cracking ones in Oxfordshire."

Find out more about the HHA and the homes it represents in Oxfordshire at hha.org.uk

OTHERS HONOURED

KNIGHTS BACHELOR

Dr Larry Alan Siedentop CBE, emeritus fellow of Keble College, Oxford, for services to political science. (London)

DBE

Dr Frances Lannon, former principal of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, for services to higher education. (Oxfordshire)

CBE

Catherine Elizabeth Johnstone, former chief executive of Samaritans, for services to suicide prevention. (Banbury)

Professor Bryan Morton, executive chairman of EUSA Pharma and board member of Syncona, for services to the healthcare industry. (Oxfordshire)

Professor Margaret Jean Snowling FBA, professor of psychology and president of St Johns College, Oxford, for services to science and the understanding of dyslexia.

OBE

Professor Georgina Emma Mary Born FBA, professor of music and anthropology at Oxford University, for services to musicology, anthropology and higher education. (Cambridgeshire)

Sara Everett, former pavilion director at the Milan Expo 2015 for UK Trade and Investment, for services to diplomacy and the UK's reputation overseas. (Oxfordshire)

Mark Lund, chief executive of McCann Worldgroup UK, for services to the advertising industry. (Henley-on-Thames)

Professor Edward Charles Melhuish, research professor at Oxford and London universities, for services to social science. (London)

Dr Hugh Connor Mulholland, consultant paediatric cardiologist at Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children, for services to healthcare in Northern Ireland. (Wallingford)

Nicholas John Way, former director general of Historic Houses Association, for services to the conservation of the UKs architectural heritage. (Charlbury)

Dr Stephen Eric Bold, for services to engineering education and to charity. (Witney)

David John Gaucheron Tee, volunteer at West Oxfordshire Vetka Association, for services to improving the lives of the community in the district of Vetka in Belarus following the Chernobyl disaster.

British Empire Medal (BEM)

Edward Percival Short, for services to the community in North Aston, Oxfordshire.