New Year’s Honours ‘total shock’ for East Midlands recipients

Members from the business, sport and public sector communities across the East Midlands have been named in the New Year’s Honours List.

Among them is the managing director of Derby’s longest established independent funeral director, Wathall’s, who has been awarded an MBE for services to the local community.

Mother of three, Helen Wathall has worked in the family business since she was 18 and has been managing director since she was just 29 – taking over the reins of the company on the death of her father Bill.

Helen Wathall is the fifth generation of her family to run Wathall’s which has offices in Macklin Street, Alvaston, Borrowash and Ashbourne.

She is also volunteer chair of St Peters Quarter Business Improvement District (BID) where she has been particularly involved in initiatives to improve the safety, cleanliness and sense of community in the area since the launch of the first BID in 2011.

Nationally, she was elected in 2003 as the first woman president of the Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors (SAIF) which represents more than 1,000 family-owned firms. During this time she represented SAIF nationally, dealing with government policy and profession issues.

She has also became the first woman board member of Golden Charter – a pre-paid funeral planning company owned by a group of independent funeral directors. Golden Charter is the UK’s largest funeral plan provider, working with over 3,000 funeral directors nationally, and with over 500,000 customers.

Wathall said: “I was in total shock when the letter arrived to tell me that I had been nominated for an MBE.

“Over the generations, the Wathall family has always been part of the local community whether that is leading Derby’s war effort in the Forties to being an active member of the local business community to action improvements in St Peters Quarter.

“I am therefore immensely honoured to be recognised in this way – particularly as it comes at the close of Wathall’s 160th anniversary year.”

Other notable East Midlands figures named in the New Year’s Honours List include:

– Professor Mary Nevill, head of sports science, school of science and technology at Nottingham Trent University, who receives an OBE for services to sport and science.

– Alexandra Peace-Gadsby, director of Fylo Enterprises, who receives an OBE for services to entrepreneurship and the community in Newark.

– Enid Bakewell, the former Nottighamshire England women’s cricket player, who receives an MBE for services to women’s cricket.

– Mehmooda Duke, the founder and chief executive officer, Moosa-Duke Solicitors, who receives an MBE for services to the legal profession and the promotion of female entrepreneurship.

– David Hughes, chair of The East Midlands Apprenticeship Ambassador Network, who receives an MBE for services to education.

– Rosalind Westwood who receives an MBE for services to museums and culture in the East Midlands.

– Peter Wynne Thomas, Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club’s stalwart librarian and historian, who receives a British Empire Medal for services to cricket and the community in Nottingham.

In total 1,148 people have received an award.