Kenneth Branagh received a knighthood and Kate Winslet received a Commander of the Order of the British Empire, or CBE, in the queen's Birthday Honours List, that was published on Saturday.
David Cameron's "big society" gong, the anachronistically named British Empire Medal, made its first appearance in twenty years in the Queen's birthday honours, rewarding "hands-on" service to local communities.
Apart from Branagh and Winslet, 293 BEMs, known as the "working-class gong", scrapped by John Major in 1991 in his efforts to make the honours system "classless", were also awarded.
The 51-year-old Branagh, said of his knighthood for services to drama and the community in Northern Ireland that he was "humble, elated and incredibly lucky."
"When I was a kid I dreamed of pulling on a shirt for the Northern Ireland football team. I could only imagine how proud you might feel. Today it feels like they just gave me the shirt, and my heart's fit to burst," the Guardian quoted the actor as saying.
The 36-year-old Winslet, said that she was "surprised and honoured" at her CBE for drama, which made her "very proud to be a Brit."
Revived by Cameron to encourage the "big society" and reward volunteering, BEM recipients included waitress Patricia Carter, for services to the hospitality industry, apiarist Geoffrey Hopkinson, for services to beekeeping, and many others who were involved with local community work, charities, and sports.
A total of 1,201 people were recommended to the Queen for an award, with 1,064 candidates selected at BEM, MBE and OBE level, while 72 percent of recipients were involved in charitable or voluntary work in their local community.
timesofindia
.jpg)
.jpg)
0 Comments