Three local people have been named Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the King’s Birthday Honours List released last week, celebrating local excellence spanning healthcare, heritage crafts, and international law.

Leading the healthcare cohort is Professor Margaret Joan Allan of Abergavenny. As the inaugural Pharmacy Dean for Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW), Professor Allan revolutionised the training landscape for Welsh pharmacists. Her career, moving from patient care at the University Hospital of Wales to nationwide academic leadership, created a unified strategy that prepared the country’s pharmaceutical workforce for modern clinical demands.

In Monmouthshire, Philippa "Pip" Ruth Penney was recognised for her extraordinary services to church bell ringing and young people. After picking up the craft at age 47, the former physiotherapist used her background in motor-skill rehabilitation to completely modernise how campanology is taught.

Mrs Penney founded the "Kids.Ring.Out." initiative to engage youth and later established the professional Association of Ringing Teachers (ART). Her standardised methods helped rescue a declining heritage craft, transforming it into a structured, thriving youth activity nationwide.

Also hailing from Monmouthshire is Ian Knut Salter, a senior partner at law firm Burges Salmon LLP, honoured for services to the nuclear industry. Regarded as a premier global expert in nuclear law, Salter has spent over 30 years advising on the UK's operational nuclear fleet, pioneering decommissioning frameworks, and guiding cutting-edge nuclear fusion projects. He currently serves as President of the International Nuclear Law Association, shaping global nuclear safety and regulation.

Also recognised in the overseas list was Martha Holman who was made an MBE for services to international development and Fairtrade between Wales and Zimbabwe.

Martha, who moved to the UK from Zimbabwe in 2001, has spent the past 25 years building a remarkable bridge between Wales and rural Zimbabwe