Birthday honours list includes Brighton and Hove teachers and professors

Two professors and two teachers are among those from Brighton and Hove on the Queen’s Birthday Honours List.

They are joined by the pop star Adele Adkins, known simply as Adele. The 25-year-old singer songwriter, who lives on Hove seafront, has been made an MBE.

Among other accolades, she has already won Grammies and an Oscar and has sold millions of copies of her two albums, 19 and 21.

The Brighton Festival’s first guest artistic director, Anish Kapoor, has been knighted. The 59-year-old sculptor installed four sculptures during the 2009 festival.

Retired Brighton swimming teacher Anne Bickmore has been awarded the BEM (British Empire Medal).

Mrs Bickmore, 66, of Phyllis Avenue, Peacehaven, was recognised for charitable services through the ABC Fund in East Sussex.

She founded the ABC Fund – the Anne Bickmore Children’s Fund – in 1991 to help underprivileged children by providing holidays, days out, food and presents at Christmas.

The fund has paid for day trips for the Whitehawk After School Project and pantomime tickets for other children.

Mrs Bickmore said: “I’m really surprised that the charity’s been recognised for what it does. And I’m delighted.

“There’s just three of us. We live from hand to mouth. We don’t take anything in expenses.”

Mrs Bickmore, a swimming teacher for 30 years until last year in several towns and villages including Ovingdean and Rottingdean, said that the fund helps all sorts of disadvantaged youngsters.

It relied on the help of schools, churches and social workers to identify, for example, children who were bereaved, living with a long-term disability or in poverty.

She said: “This week has just been unbelievable. We’ve just been chosen as Asda’s charity for two months.”

She said that her grandson’s first birthday was today (Saturday 15 June) and she was looking forward to being able to tell her family about her honour: “It’s going to be a big surprise.”

Another teacher, Maggie Morgan, from St Paul’s Church of England Nursery and Primary School, in Brighton, was made an MBE for services to education.

Ms Morgan is a language teacher at St Paul’s, in St Nicholas Road, Brighton, which has two bilingual Spanish classes.

Professor Subrata Banerjee, Professor of Mental Health and Ageing at Brighton and Sussex Medical School, has also been made an MBE.

Professor Banerjee, known as Sube, was recognised for services to people with dementia.

He has described his approach to research by saying: “The basis of my research interests is a desire to improve the quality of life and care of older people with mental health problems, particularly dementia.

“The process for achieving this is by first identifying and understanding of the problems faced by older people with mental health problems and their carers.

“Second, formulating effective, generalisable ways of addressing the problems identified.

“Third evaluating the impact of these interventions. And finally disseminating the data and lessons derived and enabling policy change so they can be hardwired into clinical provision.”

Former Sussex University academic, Professor Jim Skea, who lived in Springfield Road, Brighton, until recently, has been made a CBE.

Professor Skea, 59, is Professor of Sustainable Energy at the Centre for Environmental Policy at Imperial College London.

He was appointed a CBE for services to sustainable energy. He was a professorial fellow in the Science and Technology Policy Research Unit at Sussex from 1983 to 1998.

He said: “I’m delighted and surprised. It’s really nice to be honoured for the kind of thing that I do – and my mother will be pleased too.”

Professor Skea was made an OBE nine years ago for services to sustainable transport.

He sits on the UK Committee on Climate Change and is involved with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

He said that Brighton had been “doing a really excellent job in taking things forward” when it came to sustainable living.

He added: “I sold my car three years ago and joined the car club. The buses are excellent. Twenty years I wouldn’t have travelled by bus but I do now.

“I know it’s controversial but the 20mph speed limits are a fairly advanced change. I found it comfortable to live in Brighton and not own a car.”

Raymond Penny, 66, from Brighton, was made an MBE. He recently retired after spending 27 years as a custodian at the Prime Minister’s Office, 10 Downing Street.

Mr Penny was recognised for services to the Prime Minister’s Office and for charitable services to Naomi House and Jacksplace in Hampshire.

Judy Ironside, from Brighton, the founder and director of UK Jewish Film, has been made an MBE for services to drama.

She started the Brighton Jewish Film Festival in 1997 which, in 2005, became the UK Jewish Film Festival, the major exhibitor of films with Jewish themes in the UK and in Europe.

She has also worked in theatre in education and was a member of the British Association of Drama Therapists working primarily with children and young people with special needs.

Christine Farnish, from Hove, has been made a CBE for services to financial services and consumer affairs.

She chairs Consumer Focus, is a Civil Service Commissioner and used to be managing director of Barclays.

Ms Farnish also chairs the Family and Parenting Institute, is a board member of ABTA and used to run the National Association of Pension Funds.

She has held senior posts at the Financial Services Authority and Oftel. Her other roles have included serving on the board of the Office of Fair Trading, the Advertising Standards Authority, ING Direct and Papworth NHS Trust.

Allan Bowman, 62, from Hove, has been made a CBE. He recently stepped down as the chairman of the Social Care Institute for Excellence after almost seven years in post.

Mr Bowman began his career as a social worker in Scotland in 1972 and was director of health and social care at Brighton Borough Council. He also chaired the group that developed the College of Social Work.

Denise D’Souza, director of adult social care, at Brighton and Hove City Council, said: “I was very junior when he was the director here.

“I’m pleased to hear of his award for the contribution to social years over many years.”