New Year Honours 2026
Leonie Biggenden BEM
British Empire Medal (BEM)
“For services to Heritage.”
Recognised for
Topics
London Gazette notice
British Empire Medal
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 approve the award of the British Empire Medal (Civil Division) to the undermentioned:
B.E.M.
Leonie BIGGENDEN
Learning Volunteer, Natural History Museum
For services to Heritage.
Source: The London Gazette, issue 64940 · 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.
British Empire Medal
New Year Honours 2026- Region
- London, Greater London
“For services to Heritage.”
Mark the occasion
Commemorate Leonie's honour
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New Year Honours 2026
Leonie Biggenden
British Empire Medal (BEM)
“For services to Heritage.”
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New Year Honours 2026
Leonie Biggenden
British Empire Medal (BEM)
“For services to Heritage.”
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New Year Honours 2026
Leonie Biggenden
British Empire Medal (BEM)
“For services to Heritage.”
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In context
The bigger picture
How common is this award?
The British Empire Medal was awarded 341 times in the New Year Honours List 2026 — about 23% of the list.
In their area
549 British Empire Medal recipients are from Greater London.
How widely is this recognised?
4,560 people have been recognised for Arts & Culture.
Counts reflect the 1937–2026 honours lists in our records; earlier years are not yet included.
Honoured alongside them
Others awarded the British Empire Medal in the New Year Honours 2026
Adam Tinsley
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Rotherham, South Yorkshire
“For services to the community in Maltby, South Yorkshire.”
Adrian St Clair Emery
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Shrewsbury, Shropshire
“For Voluntary Service.”
Adrienne Campbell
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Crowthorne, Berkshire
“For services to the Aviation Industry.”
Alan Brydon
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Hawick, Roxburgh, Ettrick and Lauderdale
“For services to Music in Hawick, Scotland.”
Alastair Norman
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Stourpaine, Dorset
“For services to the community in Stourpaine, Dorset.”
Alexander Canham
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
“For services to British Foreign Policy.”
Alexander Dalgarno
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Aberdeen, City of Aberdeen
“For services to Tourism in the North East of Scotland.”
Alice Potter
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Woking, Surrey
“For services to Policing and to the community in Surrey.”
Alison Humphreys
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Oswestry, Shropshire
“For services to people with Memory Loss and Dementia.”
Alison Irwin
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Portstewart, County Antrim
“For services to Health and Social Care in Northern Ireland.”
Alison Milne
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Huntly, Aberdeenshire
“For services to Highland Dancing.”
Alun Clements
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Ware, Hertfordshire
“For Voluntary Service.”
Amila Begumahmed (amila Ahmed)
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
London, Greater London
“For services to Education.”
Amy Jackson
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Coventry, West Midlands
“For services to Bereaved Parents.”
Amy Watson
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire
“For services to Foster Care.”
Andrew Cant
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Kirkwall, Orkney
“For services to Music in Orkney.”
Andrew Dewhurst
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Christchurch, Dorset
“For Charitable Service.”
Andrew Salter
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Thatcham, Berkshire
“For services to Defence Engineering and to Young People.”
Angela Buss
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Blackpool, Lancashire
“For services to the community in Blackpool.”
Angela O’callaghan
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Colchester, Essex
“For services to Health and Wellbeing in the Workplace.”
Angela Stevenson
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Wallsend, Tyne and Wear
“For services to Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Support in North East England.”
Angela Wooller
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Hailsham, East Sussex
“For services to Further Education.”
Ann Pike
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Livingston, West Lothian
“For service to the community and Third Sector in West Lothian.”
Anna Simmons
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Dunstable, Bedfordshire
“For services to Libraries.”
In the same field
Others recognised for Arts & Culture
Across the 1937–2026 honours lists in our records, 4,560 people have been recognised for Arts & Culture. See the full list →
Malorie Blackman
PersonDame Commander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
London, Greater London
“For services to Literature.”
Cerys Matthews,
PersonOfficer Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Bourne End, Buckinghamshire
“For services to Music.”
Mukesh Sharma
PersonOfficer Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Newtownabbey, County Antrim
“For services to Heritage.”
Julia Catherine Donaldson
PersonDame Commander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Horsham, West Sussex
“For services to Literature.”
Richard Starrs
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Stockton on Tees, North Yorkshire
“For services to Heritage.”
Adam Joolia
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Brighton, East Sussex
“For services to Young People and to Music.”
Julia Jones
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Carmarthenshire, Dyfed
“For services to Music.”
Margaret Irvine
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Birsay, Orkney
“For services to Drama and to the community in Orkney.”
Shirley Henderson (shirley Mcgill)
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Aberdeen, City of Aberdeen
“For services to Drama.”
James Fraser
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Dunblane, Stirling and Falkirk
“For services to Tourism and Heritage in the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park.”
John Fannon
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Weymouth, Dorset
“For services to Heritage.”
Helen Fannon
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Weymouth, Dorset
“For services to Heritage.”
Daniel Crow
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Southampton, Hampshire
“For services to Artists and to Arts and Heritage.”
David Cottle
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Swansea, West Glamorgan
“For services to Jazz Music.”
Rebecca Chapman
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Norwich, Norfolk
“For services to Inclusive Theatre.”
Marilyn Blieck
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Prestwick, Ayrshire and Arran
“For services to Music and to the community in Ayrshire.”
Christopher Gaze
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
“For services to British Arts and Culture in Canada.”
Stephen Watson
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Belfast, City of Belfast
“For services to Broadcasting and to Kidney Transplant Awareness and to Fundraising in Northern Ireland.”
Iain Varah
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Dunmow, Essex
“For services to Public Libraries, Culture and Leisure.”
Peter Talbot
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Eastbourne, East Sussex
“For services to the Arts.”
Paul Stacey
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
London, Greater London
“For services to Theatre.”
Lisa Riley
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Leeds, West Yorkshire
“For services to Drama and to Charity.”
Garry Richardson
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Seale, Surrey
“For services to Sport Broadcasting.”
Suzanne Raine
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Cambridge, Cambridgeshire
“For services to Heritage.”
Source & provenance
Where this record comes from
British Empire Medal · 2026
London Gazette (official record), issue 64940, notice 5028811. View the official notice ↗
Cabinet Office / gov.uk published honours list (New Year Honours List 2026).
Published 29 December 2025.
Location (London, Greater London) comes from the Cabinet Office / gov.uk published honours list, not the Gazette notice, which records no recipient home location.
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