Birthday Honours 2021
Lemn SISSAY OBE
- Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)
- Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)
Poet and Playwright
“Poet and Playwright. For services to Literature and Charity”
Timeline
Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)
Poet and Performer. For services to Literature.
View London Gazette noticeOfficer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)
Poet and Playwright. For services to Literature and Charity
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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
12 June 2021
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:
O.B.E.
To be Ordinary Officers of the Civil Division of the said Most Excellent Order:
Lemn SISSAY M.B.E.
Poet and Playwright
For services to Literature and to Charity.
Source: The London Gazette, issue 63377 · Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0
Location
See other people honoured from London →
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
New Year Honours 2010- Role at the time
- Poet and Playwright
- Region
- London, South Yorkshire
“Poet and Performer. For services to Literature.”
Officer of the Order of the British Empire
Birthday Honours 2021- Role at the time
- Poet and Playwright
- Region
- London, Greater London
“Poet and Playwright. For services to Literature and Charity”
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Birthday Honours 2021
Lemn Sissay
Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)
“Poet and Playwright. For services to Literature and Charity”
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Birthday Honours 2021
Lemn Sissay
Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)
“Poet and Playwright. For services to Literature and Charity”
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Birthday Honours 2021
Lemn Sissay
Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)
“Poet and Playwright. For services to Literature and Charity”
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In context
The bigger picture
How common is this award?
The Officer of the Order of the British Empire was awarded 269 times in the Birthday Honours List 2021 — about 18% of the list.
In their area
865 Officer of the Order of the British Empire recipients are from Greater London.
What organisation were they with?
Poet and Playwright.
How widely is this recognised?
3,514 people have been recognised for Arts & Culture.
Counts reflect the 2008–2026 honours lists in our records; earlier years are not yet included.
Honoured alongside them
Others awarded the Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the Birthday Honours 2021
Abygail Louise Punch
PersonOfficer Order Of The British Empire · 2021
“For services to National Security.”
Abygail Malkin
PersonOfficer Order Of The British Empire · 2021
Adetokunbo Adesuyan
PersonOfficer Order Of The British Empire · 2021
London, Greater London
“Senior District Crown Prosecutor, Crown Prosecution Service, London. For services to Law and Order”
Adnan Khan
PersonOfficer Order Of The British Empire · 2021
London, Greater London
“Team Leader, Ministry of Defence. For services to Defence”
Aislinn Maye Ellen Rea
PersonOfficer Order Of The British Empire · 2021
London, Greater London
“Member, Taskforce Europe. For services to EU Negotiations”
Alan Coppin
PersonOfficer Order Of The British Empire · 2021
Bourne End, Buckinghamshire
“Lately Chair, Sports Grounds Safety Authority. For services to Safety in Sport”
Alan Neil Lawrence Michael Nekrews
PersonOfficer Order Of The British Empire · 2021
Alan Parsons
PersonOfficer Order Of The British Empire · 2021
Living Abroad
“Studio Engineer, Songwriter, Musician and Producer. For services to Music and Music Production”
Alan William Watson
PersonOfficer Order Of The British Empire · 2021
London, Greater London
“For services to Law Enforcement”
Alexander David Michael Bruce
PersonOfficer Order Of The British Empire · 2021
Hungerford, Berkshire
“Founder, The Bruce Trust and lately President, The Kennet and Avon Canal Trust. For services to Charity”
Alexander Russell
PersonOfficer Order Of The British Empire · 2021
Woking, Surrey
“Chief Executive Officer, Bourne Education Trust. For services to Education”
Alexandra Hoskyn
PersonOfficer Order Of The British Empire · 2021
Oldham, Greater Manchester
“Founder, The Chatty Café Scheme. For services to Tackling Loneliness during Covid-19”
Alexia Quin
PersonOfficer Order Of The British Empire · 2021
London, Greater London
“Founder and Director, Music as Therapy International. For services to Music Therapy”
Alison Daniels
PersonOfficer Order Of The British Empire · 2021
“For services to British foreign policy.”
Alison Helen Holmes
PersonOfficer Order Of The British Empire · 2021
London, Greater London
“Adviser to the NHS, Government, WHO and SAGE. For services to Medicine and Infectious Diseases particularly during Covid-19”
Alison Kay Brown
PersonOfficer Order Of The British Empire · 2021
Ross on Wye, Herefordshire
“Vice President and Chair of Trustees, the Women's Royal Army Corps Association. For voluntary service to Veterans”
Allan Bennett
PersonOfficer Order Of The British Empire · 2021
Salisbury, Wiltshire
“Head of Biosafety, Air and Water Microbiology Group, Public Health England. For services to Microbiology in the Covid-19 Response”
Alyson Ruth Grace King
PersonOfficer Order Of The British Empire · 2021
“For services to British foreign policy.”
Amanda Leach
PersonOfficer Order Of The British Empire · 2021
Living Abroad
“Global Clinical Head, AstraZeneca. For services to Medical Science and the Covid-19 Response”
Andrea Siodmok
PersonOfficer Order Of The British Empire · 2021
Newquay, Cornwall
“Lately Deputy Director, Policy Lab and Open Innovation Team, Policy Innovation Unit, Cabinet Office. For public service”
Andrew Cameron Kerr
PersonOfficer Order Of The British Empire · 2021
Musselburgh, East Lothian
“For services to the Public Sector”
Andrew Coe
PersonOfficer Order Of The British Empire · 2021
Andrew Horlock
PersonOfficer Order Of The British Empire · 2021
Andrew Richard Jennings
PersonOfficer Order Of The British Empire · 2021
London, Greater London
“Global Retail Adviser. For services to International Trade, Fashion and Retail”
In the same field
Others recognised for Arts & Culture
Across the 2008–2026 honours lists in our records, 3,514 people have been recognised for Arts & Culture. See the full list →
Daniel Calvert
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
“For services to the Culinary Arts in Japan and to UK/Japan Culinary Relations.”
Richard Starrs
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Stockton on Tees, North Yorkshire
“Project Manager, Stockton and Darlington Railway Bicentenary. For services to Heritage”
Jean Irene Routley
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Backwell, Somerset
“For services to Church Music and to the community in Backwell, North Somerset”
Jennifer Rosemary Rose-Miller
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Nairn, Nairn
“For services to Local Heritage and to the community in Nairnshire”
Angela Jane Manson
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Lisburn, County Antrim
“For services to Youth Musical Theatre”
Rita Helen Lewis (Helen Hopkins)
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Carmarthen, Dyfed
“For services to Music and Music Education”
Paul Kitching
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Wimborne, Dorset
“Head of the Natural History Museum, Tring. For services to Museums and to the community in Tring, Hertfordshire”
Adam Joolia
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Brighton, East Sussex
“Chief Executive Officer, AudioActive. For services to Young People and to Music”
Julia Jones
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Carmarthenshire, Dyfed
“Founder and Director, Llandeilo Fawr Festival of Music. For services to Music”
Pauline Patricia Knifton Hough
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Nantwich, Cheshire
“For services to Theatre and to the community in Nantwich”
Margaret Irvine
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Birsay, Orkney
“Founder, Birsay Drama Group. For services to Drama and to the community in Orkney”
Melanie Jane Houldershaw
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Oxford, Oxfordshire
“For services to Local Theatre and Choir”
Brian Charlton Heald
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Chester, Cheshire
“For services to Music and to the community in Chester, Cheshire”
Deborah Haythorne
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
London, Greater London
“Co-Founder and Co-Chief Executive, Roundabout Dramatherapy. For services to Dramatherapy”
Shirley Henderson (Shirley McGill)
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Aberdeen, City of Aberdeen
“Founder, McGill School of Speech and Drama, and Director, Aberdeen Youth Music Theatre. For services to Drama”
Rex Ormonde Freeman
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Cambridge, Cambridgeshire
“For services to the Arts and to the community in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire”
James Breingan Fraser
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Dunblane, Stirling and Falkirk
“Chief Executive Officer, The Steamship Sir Walter Scott Trust. For services to Tourism and Heritage in the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park”
John Alexander Fannon
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Weymouth, Dorset
“Co-Founder, Thomas Fowell Buxton Society. For services to Heritage”
Helen Joyce Fannon
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Weymouth, Dorset
“Co-Founder, Thomas Fowell Buxton Society. For services to Heritage”
Daniel Crow
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Southampton, Hampshire
“Director, 'A Space' Arts. For services to Artists and to Arts and Heritage”
David Cottle
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Swansea, West Glamorgan
“Artistic Director, Swansea Jazz Club. For services to Jazz Music”
Rebecca Chapman
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Norwich, Norfolk
“Founder, Total Ensemble Theatre Company. For services to Inclusive Theatre”
Lynn Cedar
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Lingfield, Surrey
“Co-Founder and lately Co-Chief Executive, Roundabout Dramatherapy. For services to Dramatherapy”
Mabel Cardwell (May Cardwell)
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Market Harborough, Leicestershire
“For services to Dance and to the community in Corby, Northamptonshire”
Source & provenance
Where this record comes from
Member of the Order of the British Empire · 2010
Cabinet Office / gov.uk published honours list (New Year Honours List 2010). No individual Gazette notice has been matched to this record yet.
Published 30 December 2009.
Officer of the Order of the British Empire · 2021
London Gazette (official record), issue 63377, notice 3817834. View the official notice ↗
Cabinet Office / gov.uk published honours list (Birthday Honours List 2021).
Published 11 June 2021.
Location (London, South Yorkshire) comes from the Cabinet Office / gov.uk published honours list, not the Gazette notice, which records no recipient home location.
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