TWO well-known Craven residents have been recognised in the King’s birthday honours.
Former headteacher of Skipton Girls’ High School Jenn Plews has been awarded an OBE for services to education. Laterly she has been chief executive officer of the Northern Star Academies Trust since 2017.
Northern Star is the multi-academy trust which includes Skipton Girls’ High as well as Skipton’s Greatwood Community Primary School, two schools in Keighley and five schools in Harrogate

It is a trust partnership committed to developing the unique nature of all of the trust schools and communities,  a particular focus on strong governance, sustainability and climate change education has seen the trust recognised nationally for awards in both areas.  The trust is dedicated to improving the life chances of every child and Jenn has championed external civic partnerships and collaborative work drawing on the strong ethos of teamwork and ethical leadership and values.

As a member of the DfE Yorkshire and Humber Advisory Board, Jenn is highly committed to improving education for all children across the region.

She says she is very proud to be honoured in this way and recognises that all educational achievements are built on moral leadership and hard work of teachers, associate staff, trustees, and governors across the education sector.

Jenn started her career as a teacher of Art and Design in the mid-’90s and before coming to Skipton worked in four other local authority areas.

Thrilled to receive the recognition she said: “I am extremely humbled to receive this honour for Services to Education and as a female CEO, to represent education across North and West Yorkshire. 
“I was personally educated in a rural North Yorkshire Primary school and have a deep affinity for improving opportunities for children across North and West Yorkshire.”

Also receiving a King's birthday honour is North Yorkshire traffic police officer Sergeant Paul Cording who receives the British Empire Medal (BEM) for services to policing and to charity.
Paul joined North Yorkshire Police in 2001 after nearly 10 years’ service in the RAF. His initial posting was to Harrogate where he worked in both response and neighbourhood policing. Paul was promoted to Sergeant in 2005 and a new chapter began five years later when he swapped walking the beat for roads policing.
Since joining roads policing in 2010, he has attended over 100 fatal road traffic collisions. He has witnessed first-hand the devastation, trauma and wider impact which each tragic incident causes to the families involved. This emotion ignited his passion for road safety and he became an advocate for safer roads.
This year, Paul ran 325km in a week in honour of the 325 people killed or seriously injured on North Yorkshire’s roads in 2021. He also took part in ‘Red January’ to fundraise for the Road Safety Talks Charity by running 5km every day of the month.
Chief Constable Lisa Winward expressed her delight following the news that Paul is to receive the British Empire Medal. Lisa said: “I am delighted that Paul has been recognised in this way. This award is thoroughly deserved and is a true recognition of his commitment to both policing and road safety."
Paul added: "I am truly humbled and a bit shellshocked. I would like to thank those who nominated me from the Chief Constables office along with those who offered supporting evidence to go with my nomination.  I guess I am lucky as growing up my mum and dad drilled into me the right values and beliefs to set me up on my path in life and I remember when I was a teenager, along with others they did some amazing fundraising which is clearly where I got the bug to help people whenever I can. 
"I also have to say thank you to all my colleagues both within policing but also the wider 999 family who do incredible things every day along with those who support my crazy challenges with words of encouragement and of course those who donate money to such worthy charities.
"I am very much looking forward to receiving my medal from the Lord Lieutenant and attending a garden party at Buckingham Palace later in the year.