Celebrated business leader, Dr. Beverly Lindsay OBE OD VLL and Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi, were amongst the list of people who were recognised in this year’s King Charles III’s Birthday Honours List.
As the trailblazing owner of Diamond Travel - one of Birmingham’s leading independent travel agents – and the founding chair of the Association of Jamaican Nationals UK, which fosters integration and celebrates cultural heritage - and noted philanthropist, she has been made a Dame in recognised for her services to the West Midlands and to charity. Always championing the Black Caribbean community, she was the first Black woman president of the Birmingham Rotary Club. She received an OBE in 2011, before becoming a Deputy Lieutenant of the West Midlands, in 2013, where she served for ten years - the last three of which she also served as Vice Lord Lieutenant.
Dame Dr. Beverly (pic) is also a mental health pioneer, as she co-leads conferences to combat stigma. The proud Jamaican is also a successful businessperson, earning the President’s Medal from the West Midlands Chamber of Commerce for her contributions and for mentoring Black entrepreneurs. Meanwhile, for Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi, he was made an MBE in recognition for his services to music and to charity. For him, Iommi says: “It’s an unbelievable honour to receive an MBE.
“Music has been my life,” he went on, “and I’ve been very lucky to share this journey with some amazing people and fans - I’m very grateful for all the support along the way. It’s been a privilege doing something I love and then to see that music connect with so many over the years.
“And to be able to help raise money for charities close to my heart has meant the world to me.” Also recognised is fellow-Deputy Lieutenant, Professor Monder Ram, who has been made a CBE for services to ethnic minority business and entrepreneurship. As founder and director at the Centre for Research in Ethnic Minority Entrepreneurship (CREME) at Aston University, his work has shaped the field over the past three decades, resulting in several social science inspired initiatives that have benefited diverse and overlooked communities.
Celebrated authors Malorie Blackman and Julia Donaldson have also been honoured with damehoods in the King's Birthday Honours list, with both writers having made significant contributions to literature, particularly in the realm of children's and young adult fiction and have been closely linked to Oxford through their educational and cultural work. Donaldson's influence in Oxford is marked by her stories being widely celebrated and performed across the city, including stage adaptations at the Oxford Playhouse. Elsewhere, former Leeds Rhinos and England Rugby League captain, Kevin Sinfield has received a knighthood in the King's Birthday Honours while six of England's Euro 2025-winning squad have been made MBEs.
Sinfield, the current England rugby union defence coach, was inspired by his close friend and former team-mate Rob Burrow, who died in 2024 aged 41 after a five-year battle with MND. "My playing career was everything I could ever have dreamed of as a young man but the last seven years have given me so much inspiration," he said.
"The MND community are the very best of us and it has been my privilege to support them and put their battle on the stage it needs." Just four days ago Sinfield announced his seventh and final annual challenge to raise money for MND charities. Fellow rugby league legend Neil Fox has been upgraded from an MBE to a CBE, while there are OBEs for two-time Ryder Cup-winning captain Luke Donald, former snooker world champion Shaun Murphy and former England rugby union captain Emily Scarratt.
The latest Lionesses to be appointed MBEs are Michelle Agyemang, Jess Carter, Hannah Hampton, Lauren James, Chloe Kelly and Alessia Russo, after five of their team-mates were recognised in the New Year list. Also honoured is former Scotland international and Manchester United star, Lou Macari, who has been made an MBE, for services to football and homeless people in Stoke-on-Trent, along with Gary Street, who coached the England women's rugby union team to World Cup glory in 2014.
Foster carers across the region have also been honoured for their work, including Mandy Blair and Colin Blair from Birmingham who have received OBE awards. Tahira Ali, a foster carer for Birmingham Children’s Trust’s Fostering Agency, and Satbinder Bains, a foster carer for City of Wolverhampton Council, have both been made MBEs.
