Four islanders feature in New Year Honours list

Four Guernsey residents have been named in the 2026 New Year Honours List for work including improving islanders' heart health and organising Liberation Day commemorations.

Helen Glencross, Alice De Freitas and Gerry Le Roy have been recognised for their work by King Charles III.

They have been appointed a Member of the British Empire (MBE), the Royal Victorian Medal (RVM - silver) and the British Empire Medial (BEM) respectively.

Deputy Jayne Ozanne, who campaigns against LGBTQ+ conversion practices, has been appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to religion and the LGBTQ+ community.

Helen Glencross has been appointed her MBE for services to heritage in Guernsey.

She was appointed the States' head of heritage services in 2019 and led plans for events marking the 80th anniversary of the ending of the German Occupation at the end of World War Two.

It included a visit by Princess Anne giving school children copies of the 1945 Liberation medal, as well as welcoming 38,000 people to the Liberation firework display.

She also pioneered the Island Memories Project to capture islander's wartime memories, and coordinated the installation of the Stolpersteine commemorative cobbles recording islanders who were victims of Nazi persecution.

She said: "I feel incredibly privileged to serve the island in this role."

She said the 2025 Liberation events "were about working with the museum and other partners".

Mrs De Freitas, has received the Royal Victorian Medal after she retired from her position as housekeeper at Government House after almost 24 years' service to there.

She said: "I have had the opportunity to work under several governors and alongside many staff, all of whom have contributed to making Government House such a special place.

"Serving the island of Guernsey in this way has meant a great deal to me, and has been both rewarding and memorable."

• How does the British honours system work?

Retired nurse Mrs Le Roy was awarded the BEM for services to public health for her work to improve cardiovascular health awareness, which has seen people being educated on the likelihood of surviving a sudden cardiac arrest.

She founded the Cardiac Action Group and launched Healthy Heart Days to highlight the dangers of an unhealthy diet and a public access defibrillator programme.

The first machine was unveiled by international footballer Fabrice Muamba, who survived a cardiac arrest during a FA Cup match in 2012.

There are now devices at more than 150 sites in Guernsey.

Ozanne has campaigned for an international ban on conversion practices and said they pose a "safeguarding risk", especially to young people in some religious settings.

Her experiences of conversion practices led her to found the Ozanne Foundation and the Ban Conversion Therapy Coalition

She said: "It is critical that we do all we can to highlight the harm that so many LGBT+ people tragically face in settings where they are told that who they are is unacceptable, causing deep psychological trauma due to unbearable levels of self-hatred and shame."

Follow BBC Guernsey on X and Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].