New Year Honours 2026
Debra Gray CBE
Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)
Principal
Commander of the Order of the British Empire · 2026
“For services to Further Education.”
Member of the Order of the British Empire · 2020
“For services to Education.”
Recognised for
Topics
London Gazette notice
Order of the British Empire
Civil Division
Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood
St. James’s Palace, London SW1
30 December 2025
THE KING has been graciously pleased to give orders for the following promotions in, and appointments to, the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire:
C.B.E.
To be Ordinary Commanders of the Civil Division of the said Most Excellent Order:
Debra Jane GRAY M.B.E.
Principal, Hull College, Yorkshire
For services to Further Education.
Source: The London Gazette, issue 64940 · Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0
London Gazette notice
Order of the British Empire
Civil Division
Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood
St. James’s Palace, London SW1
10 October 2020
THE QUEEN has been graciously pleased, on the occasion of the Celebration of Her Majesty’s Birthday, to give orders for the following promotions in, and appointments to, the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire:
M.B.E.
To be Ordinary Members of the Civil Division of the said Most Excellent Order:
Debra Jane GRAY
Principal, Grimsby Institute of Further and Higher Education
For services to Education.
Source: The London Gazette, issue 63135 · Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0
Location
See other people honoured from Dronfield →
Location comes from the Cabinet Office / gov.uk published honours list, not the Gazette notice, and isn’t available for every honour.
In context
Each honour in context
Role, region and citation as recorded for each award.
Member of the Order of the British Empire
Birthday Honours 2020- Role at the time
- Principal
- Region
- Dronfield, Derbyshire
“For services to Education.”
Commander of the Order of the British Empire
New Year Honours 2026- Role at the time
- Principal
- Region
- Dronfield, Derbyshire
“For services to Further Education.”
Mark the occasion
Commemorate Debra's honour
Celebrate this recognition with a keepsake worthy of the achievement - free to share, beautifully made to keep.
New Year Honours 2026
Debra Gray
Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)
“For services to Further Education.”
Free
Shareable card
A digital card to post or send. Free, with the Honoria mark.
New Year Honours 2026
Debra Gray
Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)
“For services to Further Education.”
Keepsake · from £9.99
Digital download
Print-ready in every size (A5–A3 + US Letter), plus the official London Gazette notice and full issue PDFs. Add your own photo.
New Year Honours 2026
Debra Gray
Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)
“For services to Further Education.”
Print · from £5.99
Printed keepsakes
Mounted fine-art prints, tea towels and greeting cards - printed and posted.
Commemorating yourself or someone you know. Honoria is an independent record - not an official or royal body.
In context
The bigger picture
How common is this award?
The Commander of the Order of the British Empire was awarded 103 times in the New Year Honours List 2026 — about 7% of the list.
In their area
8 Commander of the Order of the British Empire recipients are from Derbyshire.
What organisation were they with?
Principal.
How widely is this recognised?
6,604 people have been recognised for Education.
Counts reflect the 1937–2026 honours lists in our records; earlier years are not yet included.
Honoured alongside them
Others awarded the Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the New Year Honours 2026
Adrian Burns
PersonCommander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Alexandra Mahon
PersonCommander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
London, Greater London
“For services to Broadcasting and Diversity.”
Alice Coote
PersonCommander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Suffolk
“For services to the Arts.”
Andrew Mcnaughton
PersonCommander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Truro, Cornwall
“For services to National Infrastructure.”
Andrew Scott
PersonCommander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
London, Greater London
“For services to Economics.”
Angela Salt
PersonCommander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
London, Greater London
“For services to Girlguiding.”
Ann Mcneill
PersonCommander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
London, Greater London
“For services to Research into Addiction and Mental Health.”
Antony Travers
PersonCommander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
London, Greater London
“For Public Service.”
Buffini
PersonCommander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Weybridge, Surrey
“For services to Philanthropy and to Young People.”
Catherine Francis
PersonCommander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Buckhurst Hill, Essex
“For Public Service.”
Cathryn Riley
PersonCommander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Staines-Upon-Thames, Surrey
“For services to Business Leadership and Inclusion.”
Christopher Ordway
PersonCommander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Claire Burgess
PersonCommander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Pershore, Worcestershire
“For services to Children’s Social Care.”
Colin Booth
PersonCommander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Newton Aycliffe, County Durham
“For services to Further Education.”
Daniel Levy
PersonCommander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Potters Bar, Hertfordshire
“For services to Charity and the community in Tottenham.”
David Garbutt
PersonCommander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh
“For services to the Health and Social Care Sector.”
David James Bickers
PersonCommander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
David Kemp
PersonCommander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Hatfield, Hertfordshire
“For services to Auditory Sciences and Public Health.”
Deborah Jones
PersonCommander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Banbury, Oxfordshire
“For services to Children, Young People and Families.”
Dhruv Patel
PersonCommander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
London, Greater London
“For services to Civic Leadership and to Charity.”
Dorothea Hodge
PersonCommander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
London, Greater London
“For Parliamentary and Political Service.”
Edward Baker
PersonCommander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
London, Greater London
“For services to Healthcare.”
Edward Holder
PersonCommander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
London, Greater London
“For services to Defence.”
Elizabeth Brooks
PersonCommander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
London, Greater London
“For services to Philanthropy.”
In the same field
Others recognised for Education
Across the 1937–2026 honours lists in our records, 6,604 people have been recognised for Education. See the full list →
Stephen Thurston Munby
PersonKnight Bachelor · 2026
Kendal, Cumbria
“For services to Education.”
Rachael Ross
PersonOfficer Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Hinton Daubnay, Hampshire
“For services to Education, to Policy and to People with Down Syndrome.”
Shelagh Legrave
PersonDame Commander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Chichester, West Sussex
“For services to Education.”
Keri Scott
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
“For services to Education in Gibraltar.”
Glenda Mctaggart
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
“For services to Education in the Cayman Islands.”
Julia Downey
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
“For services to Children and Education in Moldova.”
Barbara Connell
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
“For services to Education and Young People in The Gambia.”
Alison Turner
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
London, Greater London
“For services to the Learning Disabled and Neurodiverse Community.”
Audrey Moore
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Limavady, County Londonderry
“For voluntary services to Special Education.”
Jamie Goddard
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Chepstow, Gwent
“For services to Education, to Charity and to Young People.”
Julie Gard
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Bracknell, Berkshire
“For services to Further Education.”
Lilian Field
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Strathdon, Aberdeenshire
“For services to Rural Education.”
Mary Boam
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Ashbourne, Derbyshire
“For services to Early Years Education.”
Roy Bowden
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Worthing, West Sussex
“For services to Further Education.”
Michael Hamblin
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
“For services to Education in Kenya.”
Wilfred Eaton
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
“For services to Child Welfare and Education in Kenya and to UK/Kenya Relations.”
Elizabeth Eaton
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
“For services to Child Welfare and Education in Kenya and to UK/Kenya Relations.”
Tariq Obaide
PersonOfficer Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
“For services to British Education Overseas and to UK/Morocco Relations.”
Simon Wood
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Frinton on Sea, Essex
“For services to Education.”
Lucille Windle
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Dronfield, Derbyshire
“For services to Education.”
Emma Whitfield
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Walton-On-Thames, Surrey
“For services to Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.”
Gary Stevens
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Halesowen, West Midlands
“For services to Manufacturing, to International Trade and to Apprenticeships.”
Pauline Smith
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Chatham, Kent
“For services to Education, Skills and Employability.”
Neerasha Singh
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Greenhithe, Kent
“For services to Early Years Education.”
Source & provenance
Where this record comes from
Commander of the Order of the British Empire · 2026
London Gazette (official record), issue 64940, notice 5027608. View the official notice ↗
Cabinet Office / gov.uk published honours list (New Year Honours List 2026).
Published 29 December 2025.
Member of the Order of the British Empire · 2020
London Gazette (official record), issue 63135, notice 3646260. View the official notice ↗
Cabinet Office / gov.uk published honours list (Birthday Honours List 2020).
Published 9 October 2020.
Location (Dronfield, Derbyshire) comes from the Cabinet Office / gov.uk published honours list, not the Gazette notice, which records no recipient home location.
This page is compiled from public records and may contain errors. Report an error or request removal.