Six people from Wakefield in New Year's Honours list

The six recipients are some of the 1,278 people in the UK who have been honoured and celebrated for their unique achievement.

Peter Murray CBE, founding and executive director, Yorkshire Sculpture Park was knighted for services to the arts.

OBEs were awarded to David Deaves, founder of Dewsbury Ambulance Charities, for voluntary and charitable services to the community in Wakefield and pharmacist Professor Mahendra Gulabbhai Patel for services to pharmacy.

MBEs were awarded to Alan George Davis former director of human resources, organisational development and estates at South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, for services to the NHS, particularly during Covid-19; Jamie Jay Stead for services to wheelchair rugby and Munir Faizal Mamujee, managing director of m2r Education, for services to education and exports.

The founder and executive director of Yorkshire Sculpture Park (YSP), Peter Murray, has been awarded a knighthood in the new year’s honours in recognition of his services to the arts.

In 1977 Peter established YSP in the grounds of Bretton Hall college, which at that time were not open to the public. He had a grant of £1,000 and no staff.

Since then it has evolved into a major international centre for sculpture; attracting artists and visitors from all over the world.

It employs more than 200 people and generates £11.5m for the regional economy.

Peter said: “It is a great honour for me and YSP. I think the award acknowledges the importance of the organisation to the wider pubic and the contribution it continues to make to arts and culture, and the economy.”

As well as enabling 500,000 visitors a year to see world-class exhibitions and works sited in a 500-acre historic landscape, YSP welcomes more than 40,000 people to participate in learning opportunities and has inspired at least two generations to fulfil their creative potential.

Peter Clegg, Chair of YSP trustees said: “Through a combination of vision, tenacity and exemplary leadership Peter has created one of the country’s most cherished cultural institutions with a truly global reputation.

“We are delighted that his unique achievement has been recognised in this way.”

Peter is due to retire in March and the search for a new director is ongoing.

Munir Mamujee said he was amazed and astonished when he heard he had been awarded an MBE.

M2R was set up in 2001 as a recruitment company, initially for the UK but then working overseas from 2009.

For the past seven years Munir and his small team have been supplying teachers to international schools in 40 different countries.

He said: “Because of Covid we began supplying online tutoring services to children in Europe, Africa, Middle East and Asia and digital English language courses for those who wanted to learn the language but were not able to travel.”

David Deaves, from Hall Green, was awarded an OBE for his work with the Dewsbury Ambulance charities for more than 40 years.

Back in 1980, David and two of his colleagues at Dewsbury Ambulance station did a sponsored walk to help raise funds for Guide Dogs for the Blind.

Other walks and bike rides followed and over the years more than £300,000 has been raised for a number of local and national charities.

The group also provides holidays at a Bridlington chalet to people with disabilities and undergoing end of life care.

David, aged 68, said: “To get an OBE is fantastic. I had to read the email three or four times.”

Dr Mahendra Patel is a leading pharmacist and academic with a national and international standing.

As a founding member of Royal Pharmaceutical Society for the pharmacy profession he led on developing its national policy for type-2 diabetes with Diabetes UK.

His outstanding contributions to pharmacy continues to be recognised, receiving, among many other accolades, a Fellowship from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and subsequently its prestigious President’s Charter Award.

He is an on-going advisor to British Heart Foundation and its various national steering committees.

Mahendra is now a national lead on the UK government’s priority trial, the PANORAMIC trial at the University of Oxford, for the treatment of COVID19 in the community using new antiviral agents.

Mahendra said: “I feel this is not an award for me but for the profession of pharmacy, for the organisations and institutions I’ve worked with and continue to work with at a national and international level and also for the colleagues and staff within it.”

Normanton wheelchair rugby star Jamie Stead was “blown away” by receiving an MBE in the New Year’s honours.

Jamie, 28, was a member of the Great Britain team who won gold in the wheelchair rugby at this year’s Paralympics in Tokyo, beating the United States 54-49 in a thrilling final.

Born with cerebral palsy, he dreamed of becoming a professional athlete and tried a number of sports before settling on his current code.

Since making his international debut at the Canada Cup in 2014, he has gone on to become a key member of the Great Britain team and is regarded as one of the world’s best players.

At club level, he captains Leicester Tigers and has led them to two league titles, but admitted the MBE - for services to wheelchair rugby - was a shock.

“I got home from training and my mum had put the letter on my bed,” he recalled.

“When I opened it I was blown away, I couldn’t believe it.”

Inspiring others is a huge motivation for Jamie.

“When I was a child I wanted to be a professional athlete,” he said.

“Watching people at the Paralympics inspired me and gave me the encouragement to go on and do it.

“What I and the rest of the team hope is the more we get recognised, the more it becomes an even playing field for disability sports and they get the same recognition.

“That will encourage people with disabilities to realise that, even though they have a disability, they can still go out and achieve their dreams and do something great.”

A Wakefield man paid tribute to the work of his colleagues after he was made an MBE in the Queen’s New Year Honours list.

Alan Davis, 62, is to be honoured for services to the NHS, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic.

A director for human resources at the South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Alan has ensured that people who work at SWYPFT and in the NHS have been supported through the struggles of the pandemic, with support for their physical and mental wellbeing and through the environment in which they work.

“Obviously surprised and delighted but the award wasn’t just for me,” said Alan.

“It reflects all that the NHS has gone through and the incredible team that I have worked with over many years so I like to put it into the context of what we achieved and not me.”

As part of his work Alan focussed on all staff irrespective of grade, profession or background, with a strong focus on making sure the voices of diverse groups are heard right at the top of the organisation.

Alan also led the coronavirus vaccination hubs at Fieldhead and Kendray Hospitals, which vaccinated over 85 per cent of staff and led the successful flu vaccination campaigns.

Alan retired in September after dedicating his career to the health and wellbeing of NHS staff for nearly 30 years.