Sports stars, storytellers and community champions are among those from Greater Manchester who have been recognised in the King’s New Year Honours list.
Urmston-born actress Sarah Lancashire, who grew up in Oldham, has been awarded a CBE for services to Drama, while former Manchester United manager David Moyes has been given an OBE. Weeks after being voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year, Atherton-born athlete Keely Hodgkinson, who won the 800 metres gold medal at the Paris Olympics, has now been given an MBE too.
Fellow Olympic gold medalists Sophie Capewell and Emma Finucane, who are both based in Greater Manchester, have also been awarded MBEs, alongside local para-cycling champions Jaco van Gass, Finlay Graham, Jenny Holl and Sophie Unwin. The list also includes lesser-known figures at the grassroots end of sport such as Altrincham Football Club Coach and volunteer Rachel Davies.
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More than 30 people with who live, work or grew up in Greater Manchester are also on the honours list, including Bolton author Matt Cain and former Manchester Evening News managing editor Eamonn O’Neal. Manchester council employee Joan Todd has been awarded a BEM for services to refugee resettlement alongside Joanne Taylor from Saddleworth for services to breast cancer patients.
The King’s 2025 New Years Honours list also includes Greater Manchester NHS boss Sanjay Arya, Ashton Sixth Form College governor Christine Lyness and Friends of Didsbury Park chair Brian Johnson. Bury-based storyteller author Richard O’Neill, who is grew up in a Romani Gypsy family, and Philip Rose, who set up science summer school SciTech in Wythenshawe, have also been given MBEs.
Here is the full list of everyone who lives, works or grew up in Greater Manchester named in the New Year Honours list for 2025.
Commanders of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)
Sarah Lancashire won the Leading Actress Award for ‘Happy Valley’ at the 2024 BAFTA Television Awards -Credit:Scott Garfitt/BAFTA via Getty Images
Sarah-Jane Abigail Lancashire OBE. Actor. For services to Drama. (London, Greater London)
Officers of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)
Professor Sanjay Arya. Medical Director and Consultant Cardiologist, Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Medical Director, Centre for Remediation, Support and Training. For services to Black and Minority Ethnic Doctors and Healthcare in North West England. (Bolton, Greater Manchester)
Christine Cort. Managing Director, Manchester International Festival. For services to the Arts and to Culture. (Blackburn, Lancashire)
Ian Lamont Cosh. Assistant Chief Officer, Greater Manchester Police. For services to Policing. (Preston, Lancashire)
Former Manchester United manager David Moyes -Credit:AFP/Getty Images
Professor Yaojun Li. Professor of Sociology, University of Manchester. For services to the Advancement of Knowledge in Social Mobility and to Ethnic Integration. (Birmingham, West Midlands)
Anthony John Martin. Lately Touch Judge, Rugby Super League. For services to Rugby League Football. (Oldham, Greater Manchester)
David William Moyes. Lately Manager, West Ham United Football Club. For services to Association Football. (Lytham St Annes, Lancashire)
Dr Eamonn Sean O’Neal DL. For services to Charitable Causes and to People with Disabilities in North West England. (Trafford, Greater Manchester)
Eamonn O’Neal -Credit:Chris Bull www.chrisbullphotographer.com
Dr Tobias Simpson. Director, Wiener Holocaust Library. For services to Holocaust Memorial. (Manchester, Greater Manchester)
Jaco-Albert Van Gass MBE. For services to Cycling. (Sale, Greater Manchester)
Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)
Professor Bamidele Adebisi. Head, Smart Infrastructure and Industry Research Group, Manchester Metropolitan University. For services to Knowledge Transfer. (Altrincham, Greater Manchester)
Joanne Elizabeth Ahmed. Tax Partner, Deloitte. For services to Business and Trade. (Altrincham, Greater Manchester)
Dr Matthew Joseph Cain. Writer and Broadcaster. For services to LGBTQ+ Culture. (London, Greater London)
Matt Cain -Credit:Claire Gardner Photography
Sophie Ellen Capewell. For services to Cycling. (Cheadle, Greater Manchester)
Amanda Eve Delew (Amanda Bomsztyk). Northern Regional Director, Community Security Trust. For services to the Jewish Community. (Manchester, Greater Manchester)
Emma Marion Finucane. For services to Cycling. (Stockport, Greater Manchester)
Francis Patrick Galvin. For services to Heritage in Greater Manchester. (Manchester, Greater Manchester)
Finlay Graham. For services to Cycling. (Manchester, Greater Manchester)
Keely Nicole Hodgkinson. For services to Athletics. (Salford, Greater Manchester)
Keely Hodgkinson -Credit:PA
Julian Nicholas Horsler. Equality and Diversity Manager, National Highways. For services to Equality, Accessibility and Inclusion. (Salford, Greater Manchester)
Christine Anne Lyness. Governor, Ashton Sixth Form College, Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester. For services to Education. (Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester)
Wendy June Mackie. Managing Director and Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead, Works4U, Tameside and Greater Manchester. For services to Education. (Stalybridge, Greater Manchester)
Richard O’Neill. Founder, Richard O’Neill Storytelling, Author, and Creative Lead, Seven Stories, The National Centre for Children’s Books, UK. For services to Education and to Literature. (Bury, Greater Manchester)
Philip Rose. Founder and lately Senior Partner, SciTech, North West England. For services to Children’s Science Education. (Altrincham, Greater Manchester)
Philip Rose -Credit:Sean Hansford Manchester Evening News
Joan Todd. Team Manager, Afghan Resettlement and Ukraine Response Team, Manchester City Council. For services to Refugee Resettlement. (Hyde, Greater Manchester)
Kevin Edward Turner. Co-Founder, Company Chameleon. For services to Dance and to Mental Health. (Manchester, Greater Manchester)
Margo Cornish. For services to Cancer Charities. (Macclesfield, Cheshire)
Joseph Thomas Corrigan. For services to Charitable Fundraising. (Macclesfield, Cheshire)
Jennifer Anne Holl. For services to Cycling. (Macclesfield, Cheshire)
Sophie Beth Unwin. For services to Cycling. (Stockport, Greater Manchester)
Sophie Unwin -Credit:Elsa/Getty Images
John Westwell. Director, System Leadership, National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics. For services to Education. (Bury, Greater Manchester)
Medallists of the Order of the British Empire (BEM)
Rachel Elizabeth Davies. Coach and Volunteer, Altrincham Football Club. For services to Sport. (Liverpool, Merseyside)
Brian Allan Johnson. Chair, Friends of Didsbury Park. For services to Charity and to the community in Didsbury, Greater Manchester. (Manchester, Greater Manchester)
Jean Eveline Martin. For services to the community in Greater Manchester. (Nantwich, Cheshire)
Joanne Taylor. Patient Advocate. For services to Breast Cancer Patients. (Oldham, Greater Manchester)
King’s Ambulance Service Medal (KAM)
Lisa Michelle Ward. Director of People, North West Ambulance Service.