Stone’s Jamie Richards has been recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours for his work raising awareness of sudden cardiac arrest and improving access to defibrillators.
Jamie, founder and chief executive of AEDdonate, has been awarded an MBE for services to sudden cardiac arrest awareness.
AEDdonate has led fundraising programmes to install defibrillators across the country and train people in how to use them, with particular focus on remote areas where access to emergency equipment can be more limited.
Jamie told A Little Bit of Stone:
“Receiving an MBE is an extraordinary honour, and one that I never imagined I would receive. I’m incredibly proud, but this recognition isn’t just about me. It reflects the dedication of so many people who have supported AEDdonate over the years – our staff, volunteers, trustees, supporters, partners, and the communities we’ve had the privilege to work alongside.
What started here in Stone with a simple belief that everyone should have access to a life-saving defibrillator has grown beyond anything I could have imagined. To receive this honour for services to Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness is incredibly humbling, and I hope it helps shine an even brighter light on the importance of making defibrillators accessible to every community.”
He is one of several Staffordshire residents recognised in this year’s Birthday Honours, with services to education, medicine, charity work, sport and local communities among the themes highlighted.
Among those also recognised is former Stoke City footballer and manager Lou Macari, who receives an MBE for services to football and homeless people in Stoke on Trent. His Macari Centre provides shelter, food and clothing, while helping people find work and accommodation.
Professor Pamela Kearns, of Wheaton Aston, Professor of Clinical Paediatric Oncology at the University of Birmingham, receives an OBE for services to cancer research.
Other Staffordshire recipients include Professor Jamie Norman Waterall, of Yoxall, who receives an OBE for services to public health nursing, and Professor Fiona McCullough, of Tamworth, who receives a BEM for services to education and outreach through her work as Professor of Dietetics at the University of Nottingham and as a trustee of the Manna House foodbank.
Martin Murray, Leader of Staffordshire County Council, said
“It is the people of Staffordshire which makes us the beating heart of the country,
“The scope of what our residents achieve helping others in their chosen field is remarkable and rightly deserves our recognition and congratulations.
“I thank them on behalf of us all for their hard work and commitment to others.”
Prof Liz Barnes CBE, HM Lord Lieutenant of Staffordshire, said
“Staffordshire thrives because of the contribution and impact that so many people make to their local communities or more broadly to their specialisms in work, where they go above and beyond, positively influencing the work and lives of others.
“I am always humbled by what individuals can achieve through dedicated service and support. It is fantastic to see how many of our great people in Staffordshire are included in these Birthday Honours. Congratulations to all our recipients of Honours in Staffordshire, I am so pleased to see them recognised in this way.”
