Racehorse charity founder Grace Muir appointed MBE
A charity founder who won two BBC awards for her contribution to animal welfare has been appointed an MBE. Grace Muir, CEO of the Wantage Homing Ex-Racehorses Organisation Scheme (HEROS), has been recognised for services to charity, animal welfare and education in the King's Birthday Honours. She had previously won two Make a Difference awards in 2024 for Berkshire and Oxfordshire.Ms Muir said she hoped the honour would "reflect some of my passion and future vision into HEROS to make us do more".
HEROS was established in 2006 with a primary focus on ex-racehorse retraining and rehoming, and in 2023 it opened a forest school for students with special education needs.Ms Muir said she had not started the charity "for any honour". "But it is such an honour," she said."I couldn't do this without my team and if it can reflect some of my passion and future vision into HEROS to make us do more and make this shine the light on racing and the good it's trying to do, then that's what it's for."
Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxford Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) CEO Estelle Bailey as also been honoured with an MBE for services to nature's recovery.The charity's achievements include a £500,000 nature restoration project."It's really not the sort of letter you get every day," Ms Bailey said."To read the words MBE was just absolutely extraordinary, it took my breath away for a moment."She added that charitable life was "really hard when you're working really for blood, sweat and tears - also not a lot of money". "But it was that moment of recognition for me that was just really super special."
'Nice people have noticed'
Neil Stockton, chair of Oxford Hospital Radio Cherwell, was honoured with a Medal of the Order of the British Empire (BEM) for services to hospital radio and to the local community.Mr Stockton said the service - established in 1967 - provided "more than just playing records in a little cupboard in the corner". "It was actually going round the wards talking to patients, making them the stars of the shows, getting out into local communities," he said."After all these years it's nice to feel that people have noticed that this crackpot that spends all his time in studios wiring and talking to people on the radio is being honoured in this way."
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