People in Stratford district honoured for their work in the community and for charity

The former Tommy’s chief executive worked for 22 years at what is now the largest UK charity researching the causes and prevention of pregnancy complications, miscarriage, stillbirth and premature birth.

Tommy’s was founded in 1992 when two obstetricians at St Thomas’ Hospital in London – Dr Ian Fergusson and Dr Anthony Kenney - couldn’t and wouldn’t accept the lack of answers surrounding premature birth any longer. Together with one of their patients, Lucy Nelson, they decided to start a campaign raising money for pregnancy research projects.

Eight years later, Jane joined Tommy’s as CEO and she told the Herald this week that her OBE was down to a whole team of people.

“I’m very humbled,” Jane said. “Tommy’s is absolutely a team effort. This honour goes to the trustees, the amazing staff and the parents who have lost babies but who run marathons and climb mountains to help others. There can be no greater gift. They can’t bring their baby but they can help support parents by raising money for Tommy’s.”

“I had a degree in geography and I went onto work in the food industry my background is to monetise a company or charity and build the brand. Which is what I did at Tommy’s. I started on a commercial footing but over the years I became more and more aware about the plight so many parents face having lost a baby and it’s something you never get over. It’s absolutely horrendous and is preventable and that’s what has motivated me. My vision is that one day no one will need to know about Tommy’s because all the research and the work will have saved baby’s lives,” Jane said.

She retired last year but still remains in touch with her colleagues at Tommy’s.

Anthony Cheetham of Chipping Campden has been made a CBE for services to literature.

Anthony landed his first job in publishing in 1966 and earned £1,200 a year but it paid off as his 50-year career saw him involved with some of the most significant people and bestselling publications in literary history including Harold Robbins, The Carpetbaggers, Frank Herbert’s science fiction classic, DUNE and in 1970 the paperback edition of Grapefruit, a book of poems by Yoko Ono with an introduction by her husband, John Lennon. Later that decade - in 1979 – Anthony was key to securing the publishing rights for the horror masterpiece - Alien by Alan Dean Foster.

“My CBE is really not for the literature, it’s for services to our authors who are our treasures,” Anthony Cheetham told the Herald.

Scientist Caroline Chadwick from Studley has received the British Empire Award (BEM) for dedication to animal welfare helping to make sure animal testing is not used unless it’s the only option. Caroline was until her recent retirement, the director of the biomedical services unit at Birmingham University where she worked from 2006.

Imogen Joss from Toddenham near Moreton-in-Marsh was given a British Empire Award for services to the community having helped a charity which supported families through the Covid-19 pandemic and is helping people cope with the cost-of-living crisis. After a career in the Financial Times and the London Stock Exchange. Imogen joined the North Cotswold Community Awareness charity in 2016 and is the current chair.

Other Birthday Honours in the community include:

OBE

Michael King. Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. For services to local government. (Leamington)

David James Ring. Independent chair, National Shipbuilding projects. For service to shipbuilding. (Warwick)

MBE).

Delia Alexandra Button. For services to the community in Leamington. (Leamington)

Officers of the Order of the British Empire

Susan Christine Cox. Founder and director of SMART-UK. For services to Addicts in Prison. (Warwick)

Medallists of the Order of the British Empire

Elizabeth Susan Baitson. Founder, High Net Connect. For services to business and entrepreneurs. (Warwick)