A tourism chief, a professor and a dentist are among those people who live or work in Ceredigion, Gwynedd and Powys to have been named in the King’s birthday honours list.
Powys-based Val Hawkins, chief executive officer for Mid Wales Tourism (MWT) receives an MBE for services to Tourism and to the Economy in Wales.
After running her own guest house for 10 years, Val, 65, joined the not-for-profit MWT in 1999. MWT supports over 600 tourism businesses across Powys, Ceredigion and southern Snowdonia.
As membership manager, Val was instrumental in delivering the Quality Accommodation scheme and Welcome Host Scheme throughout Mid Wales.
She became CEO of MWT in 2006 and was vital in ensuring its survival when it lost core funding following the absorption of the Wales Tourist Board (WTB) into the Welsh Government(WG), an extremely difficult period for the tourism industry in Wales.
“I am surprised but delighted to have been recognised with an MBE,” Val said.
“I am proud of the work I have done as an officer of MWT Cymru over the past 24 years, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic when a lot of good people in the industry pulled together to try to mitigate the impact on tourism businesses through that extremely challenging time.
“I must thank the MWT directors and staff I have worked with over the years and our member businesses and community groups for their support. I am part of a business community and, for a rural region, we collectively punch way above our weight.
“Our strength lies in being a small but flexible and agile team which allows us to adapt quickly to changing circumstances.”
John Livesey Hender Bate from Aberdyfi receives an MBE for services to the Talyllyn Railway, and Nefyn professor, Philip Michael Dickens, founder of Added Scientific, also receives an MBE, his for services to the additive manufacturing sector.
The 66-year-oldis considered the first true expert by the UK’s Additive Manufacturing (AM) community. Commonly referred to in the popular media as 3D printing, it is his research that has helped demonstrate that AM is a must have technology for the UK manufacturing sector to survive, compete and flourish on a global basis.
He is credited by his peers as providing the foundations for the adoption of this technology and instrumental in ensuring that the UK has grasped the potential of and maximised the benefits it offers.
He has been a mentor, an inspiration, and a pathfinder to this community and at the heart of some of the earliest global innovations.
He was the first academic worldwide to investigate multi-pass welding to make 3D metal shapes and the first to show the technical feasibility of injection moulding into stereolithography tool cavities.
His work led to a patent for its build style that is now used worldwide to make patterns for investment casting, a key industry underpinning aerospace and other high technology products.
Professor Medwin Hughes, vice-chancellor of the University of Wales and University of Wales Trinity St David Group receives a CBE for services to Education and to the Welsh Language.
Paediatric and special care dentist, Paul Jeffrey Leach, receives an MBE for services to children with special educational needs and disabilities in north west Wales
The 68-year-old is the only paediatric community specialist in north Wales.
Many of the children he deals with have severe behavioural and medical problems, and his communication with both the children and their parents is exceptional.
His passion for the service is exemplified in the extra roles he consistently takes on to make this an exemplary service.
He treats children with special needs in theatre in Ysbyty Gwynedd, Bangor. Without him, these children would have to travel to Liverpool for treatment, a journey that would be extremely daunting for them.