New Year Honours 2026
Sonia Hazel BEM
British Empire Medal (BEM)
“For services to Diversity and Inclusion in the Rail Sector.”
Timeline
British Empire Medal (BEM)
For services to Diversity and Inclusion in the Rail Sector.
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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.
Sonia Lynette HAZEL
Assurance and Controls Manager, HS2, Network Rail
For services to Diversity and Inclusion in the Rail Sector.
Source: The London Gazette, issue 64940 · Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0
Location
See other people honoured from Bedford →
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
- Bedford, Bedfordshire
“For services to Diversity and Inclusion in the Rail Sector.”
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New Year Honours 2026
Sonia Hazel
British Empire Medal (BEM)
“For services to Diversity and Inclusion in the Rail Sector.”
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New Year Honours 2026
Sonia Hazel
British Empire Medal (BEM)
“For services to Diversity and Inclusion in the Rail Sector.”
Keepsake · from £9.99
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New Year Honours 2026
Sonia Hazel
British Empire Medal (BEM)
“For services to Diversity and Inclusion in the Rail Sector.”
Print · from £5.99
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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
43 British Empire Medal recipients are from Bedfordshire.
How widely is this recognised?
1,958 people have been recognised for Equality, Diversity & Inclusion.
Counts reflect the 2000–2026 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 Equality, Diversity & Inclusion
Across the 2000–2026 honours lists in our records, 1,958 people have been recognised for Equality, Diversity & Inclusion. See the full list →
Dawn Tinley
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
“For services to People with Learning Disabilities in Jersey.”
Alice Wintergold
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Haywards Heath, West Sussex
“For services to People with Disabilities.”
Tyron Woodford
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Swindon, Wiltshire
“For services to Diversity and Inclusion in the Rail Sector.”
Alison Turner
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
London, Greater London
“For services to the Learning Disabled and Neurodiverse Community.”
Christopher Symes
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Ellesmere, Shropshire
“For services to Disabled People.”
Barbara Sved
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
London, Greater London
“For services to Disabled and Learning Disabled Adults in Harrow and Northwood, Greater London.”
Jennifer Smyth
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Londonderry, County Borough of Londonderry
“For services to Disability Sport.”
Scott Rogers
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Saint Helens, Merseyside
“For services to Disability Sport.”
Mary Mitchell
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Leeds, West Yorkshire
“For services to Diversity and Inclusion.”
Fiona Knight
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Corwen, Clwyd
“For services to People with Learning Disabilities and to Autistic People.”
David Green
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire
“For services to Diversity and Inclusion in Manchester.”
Claire Flowers
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Bangor, County Down
“For services to Girls and Young Women.”
Sharon Brown
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Barnsley, South Yorkshire
“For services to Disabled People.”
Maureen Bingham
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Lydney, Gloucestershire
“For services to Operational Delivery, Logistics and to Diversity and Inclusion.”
Sharifa Begum
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
London, Greater London
“For services to Women.”
Claire Alleguen
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Hove, East Sussex
“For services to Diversity and Inclusion.”
Simeon Yates
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Sheffield, South Yorkshire
“For services to Digital Inclusion.”
Hollie Whittles
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Telford, Shropshire
“For services to Women in Business.”
Emma Whitfield
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Walton-On-Thames, Surrey
“For services to Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.”
Claire Vincent
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Bangor, County Down
“For services to Marine Science and to Women in Science.”
Clive Smith
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Cannock, Staffordshire
“For voluntary services to Disabled Riders.”
Ronald Sawford
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Kettering, Northamptonshire
“For services to Charity and to Disabled People.”
Karen Salter (kay Salter)
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
London, Greater London
“For services to Disabled People and to the community in Bexley.”
Becky Ruddy
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Thurso, Caithness
“For services to Women in the Nuclear Industry.”
Source & provenance
Where this record comes from
British Empire Medal · 2026
London Gazette (official record), issue 64940, notice 5028910. View the official notice ↗
Cabinet Office / gov.uk published honours list (New Year Honours List 2026).
Published 29 December 2025.
Location (Bedford, Bedfordshire) comes from the Cabinet Office / gov.uk published honours list, not the Gazette notice, which records no recipient home location.
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