New Year's Honours list 2024: people from Cornwall

Those on the 2024 list have been honoured for their outstanding contributions across all parts of the UK, from all walks of life, celebrities to volunteers.

Nationally they include singer Dame Shirley Bassey, who has sold more than 135 million records and has been made Companion of Honour for her services to music. She becomes the 64th living member of the order, which can only have 65 members at any one time.

Director and producer Sir Ridley Scott, whose works include Gladiator and Alien, is made a Knight Grand Cross, upgrading his previous knighthood, while author Jilly Cooper becomes a dame.

Wetherspoon pub chain boss Tim Martin is knighted, as is Glastonbury Festival founder Michael Evis and former chancellor and home secretary Sajid Javid, while Dame Margaret Beckett, Labour MP for Derby South, has had her damehood upgraded to a Dame Grand Cross.

Sir Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, is made a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (RVO) for his personal service to the Crown during the coronation at Westminster Abbey in May. Awards of the RVO are in the King’s gift and are bestowed independently of Downing Street to people who have served the monarch or the royal family in a personal way.

Two people in Cornwall have also been honoured by King Charles in this way: Colonel Edward Thomas Bolitho, Lord-Lieutenant of Cornwall and an OBE, has been made Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO), while Alastair Gilbert Martin, Secretary for the Duchy of Cornwall, has been made Commander of the Royal Victorian Order.

Colonel Edward Bolitho, Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall, has been named a KCVO (Image: Packet archive)

Among those in Cornwall being made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) is Commander Martin Howard, who commands the Royal Navy’s sole aerial drone unit, 700X Naval Air Squadron, based at RNAS Culdrose in Helston.

Remote-piloted aerial vehicles play an increasingly important role across the whole of the Armed Forces and, led by Commander Martin Howard, 700X Squadron has been leading training courses with members of the Royal Navy as well as the Army and Royal Air Force.

The squadron has developed Predannack airfield, on the Lizard Peninsula, as a training facility for testing and innovating with the latest unmanned systems.

Cdr Howard’s small unit provides drone flights for ships deployed around the world, trains hundreds of pilots from across the Forces, trials cutting-edge technology, modifying commercial drones for military use, and the team have even developed their own drone.

Members of 700X Naval Air Squadron work on the drones (Image: Royal Navy) (Image: Royal Navy)

Operating under the motto ‘Experientia Docet’ – ‘Experiences Teaches’ – the squadron has a long history of testing cutting-edge new aircraft for use by frontline squadrons, including the Merlin and Wildcat helicopters.

Also being made an MBE is chef Adam Handling, the chef behind a number of renowned restaurants in the UK, including Ugly Butterfly at Carbis Bay in Cornwall and The Frog, Covent Garden, his flagship restaurant.

He is also an ambassador of The GREAT Britain and Northern Ireland Campaign, the Government's international marketing campaign launched in 2012 to stimulate jobs and growth, and is named on the list for services to Hospitality and International Trade.

Scottish-born Adam started his award-winning career at Gleneagles 16 years ago, where he was the first ever apprentice chef, before he went on to become Fairmont’s youngest ever head chef.

Awards include British Culinary Federation’s Chef of the Year, Chef of the Year in the Food & Travel Awards and becoming the youngest person to be one of the Caterer’s ‘30 under 30 to watch’ in the 2013 Acorn Awards.

Chef Adam Handling opened Ugly Butterfly in 2021 (Image: Supplied)

In 2020 Adam received Restaurateur of the Year in the British GQ Food and Drink Awards and earlier this year he was crowned BBC TV’s Great British Menu ‘Champion of Champions’.

He was also selected by the BBC’s One Show as one of four British chefs to create an official recipe for the Coronation celebrations of King Charles III, with his Majestic Chicken Pie chosen by the public as the winning dish.

Adam opened Ugly Butterfly at the Carbis Bay Estate in August 2021, and was tasked with overseeing food and beverage at the G7 Summit in Cornwall later the same month.

A full list of people from Cornwall named on the New Year’s Honours list this year are:

Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)

Julie Patricia Felix, for services to Dance Education. (Looe, Cornwall)

Syed Jason Andrew Ghaboos, deputy director of the Civil Service Employee Experience, Cabinet Office, for Public Service. (Bude, Cornwall)

Charity Gladstone, lately Matron of Cardiology and Respiratory Services at Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, for services to Nursing. (Saltash, Cornwall)

Adam Peter Ritchie Handling, chef and ambassador of The GREAT Britain and Northern Ireland Campaign, for services to Hospitality and International Trade. (St Ives, Cornwall)

Fiona Roberts JP Magistrate, Cornwall Bench, South West Region, for services to the Magistracy and the Administration of Justice. (Camborne, Cornwall)

Bar to the Medal of the Order of the British Empire (BEM)

Margaret Cortis, for voluntary and charitable services to the community in Truro, Cornwall. (Truro, Cornwall)

Jean Carol Davies, chair and coach of Saints Netball Club, Truro, for services to Netball and to the community in Cornwall. (Redruth, Cornwall)

Christine Mary Gendall, for services to the community in Penzance, Cornwall. (Penzance, Cornwall)

Terence Brian Gerry, for services to the community in Plymouth. (Callington, Cornwall)

Godfrey Williams Harrison, for services to the community in Bude-Stratton, Cornwall. (Bude, Cornwall)

Stephen Brian Michael, for services to the community in Kingsand, Cornwall. (Torpoint, Cornwall)

Cheryl Barbara Smith, leader of Girlguiding Cornwall, for services to Young People. (Plymouth, Devon)

Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO)

Colonel Edward Thomas Bolitho OBE Lord-Lieutenant of Cornwall. (Cornwall)

Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO)

Alastair Gilbert Martin, Secretary for the Duchy of Cornwall.