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Six people from across the Channel Islands have been recognised by King Charles III in the New Year Honours.
From Jersey, Kevin Keen has been made an OBE, Michael Blackie an MBE and Peter Tabb awarded the British Empire Medal for services to the community.
And in Guernsey, Julia Bowditch has been made an MBE for services to sport, Vanessa Wakeford has received a Royal Victorian Medal, and Raymond Evison has been honoured as a CBE.
Express spoke to the individuals who have done so much for their community...
Pictured: Kevin Keen. (Rob Currie)
Well-known locally as a top business 'fixer', as well as a champion of leadership and charity, Jersey-born Mr Keen said was overcome with pride at being recognised... but only after realising that the call from the Lieutenant-Governor wasn't a "massive prank".
While his first ever job was as a paper boy, Mr Keen went on to hold senior roles at Le Riche Group, Jersey Dairy, Jersey Water and Jersey Post, as well as becoming President of the Chamber of Commerce.
In the charity sector, he has been Interim Chief Executive of the JSPCA and Durrell, which he has also supported as Treasurer and Trustee, acted as Honorary Treasurer for Family and Nursing Home Care, and overseen the Association of Jersey Charities as Chair.
More recently, he has been involved in promoting the qualities of leadership through not-for-profit Leadership Jersey, which regularly hosts inspiring speakers and events.
Reflecting on the "surprise" award, he paid tribute to the many people he had met over the course of his career "that have really helped me and that developed a desire to pay back and help others" – and, importantly, his wife, Christine for her continued support and patience as he "jumped from one job to the next".
Pictured: Michael Blackie. (Rob Currie)
When Michael Blackie accepted an invitation to become a Vice-Chairman of the Jersey Eisteddfod in summer 1999, he did not know quite what he was letting himself in for.
It would, the previous Chairman John Harper told him, just be a matter of attending four meetings a year. Until the spring of the following year, when the Chairman told Mr Blackie he was moving to Bermuda, leaving an open role in his wake.
"I had to learn pretty quickly," he recalled.
Twenty-three years after his appointment, the Chairman of the organisation's executive council has been honoured with an MBE for his services to the community.
Mr Blackie had been a participant in the Eisteddfod's performing arts festival since 1979, and when he took over as Chairman, he used experience from the John Lobb Memorial Trust on which he served under the late Sir Peter Crill and the late Reg Jeune.
Mr Blackie has also been a trustee and treasurer of the Opera House charitable trust.
What has appealed to him in his years as Chairman has been getting to know many of the dedicated people who make the Eisteddfod a success, and seeing the amount of talent that exists in Jersey.
"The adjudicators who come for the first time are amazed by that talent, and they appreciate that it's there because of the quality of the tuition that's available here," he said.
He stressed that the organisation of an event involving thousands of islanders is very much a team effort.
"They are volunteers and most of them have done it for a long time and absolutely understand how it works," he said, adding that the introduction of new classes like those for rock and pop, for signing choir and for Young Actor of the Year competition reflected a concern to embrace new generations of competitors.
Pictured: Peter Tabb. (Rob Currie)
For someone who has been a member of a club whose motto is "to serve the local community" for half a century, it should come as no surprise that he has been recognised for his service to the community.
That said, Peter Tabb was "quite stunned" and "floored" when the Lieutenant-Governor took him aside at an event he was due to speak at and told him that he had received the British Empire Medal.
He said: "That didn't help with the nerves before my speech. But of course, I was very pleased and proud to be nominated for the honour. There was a bubble of pride in it somewhere."
Born and raised in Jersey, Mr Tabb joined the Lions Club 51 years ago, with the goal of serving his community.
While cultivating a successful career in advertising, marketing and PR, which began at the JEP in the mid-1960s, he has been involved with the Swimarathon (one of the island's most successful fundraising events) since its inception in 1972, and he co-founded Diabetes Jersey and Genuine Jersey.
Mr Tabb continued: "None of us join an organisation like the Lions with a view to having some sort of recognition, but it's nice for it to happen."
His recent achievements include overseeing the £3.5 million refurbishment of Maison des Landes in St Ouen as the president of trustees. The site remains the only hotel in the Channel Islands that caters exclusively for people with disabilities.
"That was of great importance to me, because of the people who will benefit from that," Mr Tabb continued.
He added: "Ever since I joined the Lions 51 years ago, I have wanted to serve the community, and it all stems from that one wish. The ethos of the Lions is exactly that, and I suppose there is a satisfaction in helping other people too."
He was recently awarded a Melvin Jones Fellowship from the Lions Club which recognises his long service.
Mr Tabb thanked his wife Therese Tabb, adding: "I've always been able to rely on a remarkable team of people around me."
"I am so grateful to those teams, to my wife and family for tolerating the fact that I was sometimes out spending more time working in community than with them."
Pictured: Julia Bowditch.
Having led the delivery of a spectacular Island Games, Julia Bowditch has been made an MBE for services to sport in Guernsey.
The 2023 event saw 3,000 competitors and officials involved in 14 sports over six days of competition based around 18 venues.
She was appointed Games Director early in 2019 with the Games due to take place in 2021, but it was delayed until July 2023 because of the Covid pandemic.
"I'm very happy to receive this award, it was a big surprise and I'm very grateful," she said.
"Guernsey 2023 was a huge team effort, so I want to accept the award on behalf of all the 1,200 plus volunteers, without them the Games would not have been possible.
"I can't stress enough how amazing the volunteers were, they were always willing to roll up their sleeves to help.
"From mopping up sweat on the badminton courts to stuffing 5,000 welcome bags, the unpaid volunteers went above and beyond to ensure that the Games ran smoothly.
"Some volunteers made huge sacrifices and worked for years on the planning. The various sports coordinators each had huge responsibility and they were all heroes."
Her involvement in the sports events sector began by chance when she was backpacking in Australia in 2000 and secured a job working in the lost and found at the Sydney Olympics.
Two years later she worked at the Manchester Commonwealth Games and was then volunteer coordinator for the 2003 Guernsey Island Games.
Among her career highlights was being involved in the Opening and Closing ceremonies at the London 2012 Olympics.
Pictured: Vanessa Wakeford.
After being awarded the Royal Victorian Medal, Vanessa Wakeford took the opportunity to thank all the staff at Government House for the support they give her and the Lieutenant-Governor.
Miss Wakeford was named in the 2023 New Years Honours list for "distinguished personal service" to the Monarch. She was appointed as the first female Butler to the Lieutenant-Governor in 2007.
As Butler and House Manager, Miss Wakeford oversees the running of Government House and all its functions.
"I like the fact that it's constantly changing, no two days are the same and you get to meet lots of people from lots of different walks of life," she said.
"I want to thank past and present members of Government House, because long service comes from having a good team around you – so they're a huge part of it."
Miss Wakeford worked at Government House on an ad hoc basis before being fully employed in 1993.
"As in life, these things sort of just happen... life takes you one way and there you go. It's a great honour to be awarded [the RVM]."
Pictured: Raymond Evison.
A renowned horticulturalist with global appeal who has operated in Guernsey for nearly four decades has been honoured as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) by King Charles III.
Raymond Evison is a well-known figure locally and nationally as a green-fingered businessman whose multi-decade efforts to grow high-quality and sustainable clematis plants have rooted his position in the horticultural world.
In his lifetime Mr Evison has penned a series of books on clematis species and cultivars, creating over 200 of them himself out of a dedicated nursery on Route Militaire.
He told Express they produce two million plants a year, enough to satisfy 15% of global demand. With decades of propagation it's estimated that over 65 million living clematis which started their journey in the island are currently growing around the world.
He was awarded the OBE in 2000 by The Queen for services to horticulture in the island, while his new designation as part of the 2024 New Year honours is awarded for wider services to horticulture and to Guernsey itself.
Mr Evison said it was "an absolutely tremendous honour for our family" and for horticulture, as he paid tribute to his near 50 strong nursery team for their efforts.
"I enjoy my life working with plants, sharing knowledge and educating... I'm a very, very lucky person."
His influence can be seen across the islands from the Victor Hugo Garden at Candie, the restoration of the Victorian garden at Sausmarez, and the promotion of gardens in Sark.
But the influence also extends further afield, with monarchy connections rooted in advising clematis planting at the Royal estates, and to the far east where he has travelled to rural China since 1981 to hunt for and exhibit rare species of clematis.
A highlight of his career came in September 2021 when the show's President awarded the highest honour to his exhibit for producing a flowering clematis garden out of season.
Most recently, his business was granted a Royal Warrant by the Prince of Wales for being a substantial supplier of products over a period of years to a Royal Household, and who reach a high level of sustainability in their production, practices, and social responsibilities.
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