The King's New Year honours list - some incredible Oldhamers are recognised

Community champions and creatives are among a number of Oldhamers who have been recognised in the King's New Year Honours list.

Actress Sarah Lancashire, who grew up in Oldham, has been awarded a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) for services to Drama, while patient advocate Joanne Taylor from Saddleworth has been awarded a British Empire Medal for services to breast cancer patients.

Meanwhile Steve Rigby, the former Oldham headteacher and founder of the locally-based 3Cs chess club over 46 years ago, has been awarded the British Empire Medal in the King’s New Year’s Honours for services to chess and his work with young people in the community.

Steve becomes only the 13th person in the country to have received a national honour from the monarch specifically because of their involvement with the game.

The honour has been granted to Steve just 12 months after he also received the national "Points of Light" award.

Steve said: "I am delighted to receive this award not only for myself but on behalf of the remarkable people who I have spent time sharing the same vision with and who have all helped to make our achievements possible.

"That so many have supported the 3Cs club’s inclusive nature to provide opportunities for all has been a great inspiration to me all my life."

Fellow Oldhamer Anthony John Martin has been awarded and OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) for services to rugby league football.

Managing Director and Co-Founder of GGR Group, Gill Riley (pictured above), has also been awarded a CBE in recognition of her services to the lifting industry.

This CBE follows Gill’s award of the OBE for services to construction in 2015; since then Gill has continued to drive innovation and excellence within the construction industry.

Gill, who co-founded GGR Group in 1995 in Royton with her brother Graeme, started their business with a vision to bring innovative lifting solutions to the UK market. 

Gill said: "I am truly humbled and honoured to receive the King's CBE.

"This recognition is not just a personal achievement, but a reflection of the dedication and hard work of everyone at GGR Group.

"Together, we've built something special, and I look forward to continuing our journey of innovation, excellence, and growth together."

Two Greater Manchester Police also received honours.

Assistant chief officer Ian Cosh has been given an OBE for his services to policing, while chief resource officer Lee Rawlinson, who was born and raised in neighbouring Rochdale, has been honoured with an MBE for his time as Director for Sustainability and Service Operations at the Environment Agency.

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