The inspirational people awarded new year honours in Powys and Herefordshire

A foster carer, a farm safety expert, the founders of a nursery and the chairman of Herefordshire Council were all in the coveted list.

Farmer Brian Kinsley Rees from Abbeycwmhir has been awarded an MBE for his services to farm safety.

Alongside working on and managing the family farm which has 700 sheep producing breeding ewes and finished lambs and 16,000 free-range laying hens, Brian has run his independent H&S training and consultancy business since the early 1980s, specialising in farm Health and Safety, working with ATB, NPTC, RTITB and Lantra.

His areas of expertise include all aspects of general farm safety including working with animals, lift trucks, tractors and ATVs, machinery, pesticides, ground care, working at heights, construction site safety and general H&S.

A skilled communicator, Brian has trained and advised about farm H&S for most of his adult life, and finds the role of visiting or addressing farmers to help them implement safer ways of working very rewarding

Brian is chair of the Wales Farm Safety Partnership, which has brought together all key stakeholder organisations in Wales to help make Welsh farms safer places to work

Farmer Brian can trace his passion for promoting farm safety back to the start of his career. 

‘Since my time in Young Farmers Clubs in the 1970s and 80s, and later the National Farmers’ Union and the Country Land and Business Association, I have always tried to convince the leaders of our industry of the need to improve health and safety in agriculture,’ he says.

Key to driving up safety standards is getting workers and employers on the same page, he says. 

“Our industry is no different to any other – unless you have the employers and decision-makers on board, other health and safety activities in the workforce can be far less effective.”

Getting hands-on and being able to talk farmer-to-farmer has also proved important, Brian added “One of my main activities has been skills and health and safety training. This involves going into the workplace and delivering hands-on training involving lift trucks, tractors, safe use of pesticides and general site safety, again getting the managers and supervisors involved as much as possible.”

Brian has been awarded the Lantra Wales Lifetime Achievement Award, as well as being a past chair of the Wales Farm Safety Partnership and was a member of the IOSH Rural Industries Group for six years. 

He has also worked on fatal accident investigations and acted as an expert witness for the GB Health and Safety Executive. 

Brian has held various roles within the Young Farmers Club including County, Wales and National Chairman and President of Radnorshire YFC, Fellowship of the Royal Agricultural Societies for services to H&S (FRAgS), he has been awarded an Honorary Life Vice-Presidency for services to the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society (RWAS), is the RWAS chief steward of traffic management, Chair of Governors and parent-governor, Llandrindod High School and Country Landowners & Business Association (CLA) past chairman and president of Brecon & Radnor branch.

 Neil Lloyd Lewis and Sasha Nicole Lewis, both co-founders of Tiny Toes Nursery in Southampton, Hampshire have been awarded MBE’s for their services to early years education and they now live in Powys.

Foster carer Esther Mary Eleanor Wilson, of Llandrindod Wells will also receive an MBE for services to Foster Care. 

Two pupils from Lady Hawkins High School in Kington receive honours - Singer Ellie Goulding  and the Chairman of Herefordshire Council, Councillor Roger Phillips

Ellie Goulding has been made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to biodiversity and the climate.

The chart-topping pop star, who is a global environmental ambassador for the UN, was recognised in the New Year Honours list.

Born Elena Jane Goulding on December 30 1986 in Hereford, she played clarinet and guitar as a child and developed her passion for music as a young adult, setting up a MySpace account to get in touch with music producers.

Aged just 23, she won the Critics' Choice Brit Award and came top of the BBC's influential Sound Of 2010 poll.

Her debut album, Lights, which contained chart-topping hit Starry Eyed, was released the same year and soared straight to number one in the UK albums chart.

Her other UK number one albums are Halcyon (2012), Brightest Blue (2020) and Higher Than Heaven (2023).

The Chairman of Herefordshire Council Cllr Roger Phillips has been recognised for his outstanding contribution to the county and its residents in the New Year’s Honour List for 2026.

Cllr Phillips, a leading member since 1997, has been awarded the OBE (Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire), for services to the community of Herefordshire.

A farmer in Pembridge, Leominster, Cllr Phillips has created and led initiatives that have transformed the county, improving the economy, access, public services and more across rural communities.

A past pupil and Governor at Lady Hawkins School, Roger was a member of Kington Young Farmers

Councillor Jonathan Lester, Leader of Herefordshire Council, said: “For nearly 30 years, Roger has improved the lives of local people, as an innovator, champion for our county, and a true political leader who has delivered transformational change. From creating jobs at scale; to driving development of major transport infrastructure, new leisure facilities and better services; and securing support for the agricultural community, he is one of the few people in councils across the country who has consistently made such an impact.

“We are all proud to call Roger a colleague, and even prouder of what he has achieved in so many ways. This is hugely deserved national recognition for such a popular and committed public servant, who continues to make a major difference for our county and the people we serve.”

Cllr Phillips said “I have been fortunate over many years to have worked with many wonderful people, both inside and outside the county, on projects, events and services we can be rightly proud of. Herefordshire has a remarkable culture of collaboration as a community, which has enabled us to continue delivering for local people, and to punch above our weight nationally.”

Cllr Phillips is one of the longest serving Herefordshire Council members, representing the Arrow ward, comprising Pembridge, Shobdon, Lyonshall, Eardisland, and the Titley group parishes, and serving as a Parish councillor. He was Leader of Herefordshire Council from 2003 – 2011.

He has led some of the county’s major projects in recent decades. He was Chair of Hereford Enterprise Zone which attracted millions of pounds of investment, creating more than 1,000 jobs to become the county`s largest employment estate. Cllr Phillips led the drive to build the Rotherwas Access road. successfully relocate Hereford Livestock market, and redevelop the Old Market site. Significant other projects include Leominster’s swimming pool, the new Herefordshire Records and Archive Centre, and construction of the new Hereford Fire Station, dure for completion in early 2027.

He has also been a County Magistrate for more than 30 years, and a committee member of Royal Three Counties Show which he currently chairs.

A passionate campaigner for the county and rural councils and communities, he has given Herefordshire a strong seat at the table on national issues. As Chair of the Rural Services Network, which represents almost 500 councils and other public, private and third sector organisations, he continues to ensure rural, coastal and small-town communities have a strong voice and can influence across political parties, including the highest levels of government.

For the past ten years, he has Chaired the Advisory Board overseeing the Local Government Pension Scheme, one of the country’s largest with 6.7 million members and a market value of nearly £400 billion. Cllr Phillips is also one of just 12 councillors on the National Joint Council (NJC) for Local Government Services.

Jocelyn Daphne Finnigan has been awarded an MBE for her services to heritage and to charity in Herefordshire.

For over 24 years, the 78 year-old  has been a driving force in Herefordshire’s heritage sector, transforming the once-derelict Grade II* listed Homme House into a sustainable enterprise and preserving a key community asset.

To fund the estate’s restoration and ongoing care without personal profit, she and her late husband established a wedding business and secured essential grants from English Heritage and the Historic Houses Foundation.

Her dedication led to significant restoration projects, including re-roofing the Main House, restoring the flood-damaged Upper Lodge, and reclaiming the Grade I listed Summerhouse.

She is deeply involved in the practical work of the estate, from clearing overgrown gardens to pruning over 30 varieties of local heritage apple trees.

Beyond heritage, she has raised over £200k for charities like St Michael’s Hospice through events at the estate and has engaged the local community through projects involving schools and British Eventing trials.

Otherwise in Herefordshire Ian Todd, the Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority has been awarded an OBE for Parliamentary and Public Service, Dean Mark Davies, Team Leader with the Ministry of Defence has been awarded an MBE for services to defence, Phillip James Edward, Chairman of the Country Park Supporters Group has received a BEM for services to public spaces in Hereford and Dorothy Jean Pullen has received a BEM for services to military personnel.