Hull theatre director Daniel Swift and head teacher honoured by king
The founder of a Hull theatre for children with learning disabilities has been named in the King's Birthday Honours list.Daniel Swift, 28, who set up the Concrete Youth charity in 2019, was awarded a MBE for services to the arts and to people with disabilities.Mr Swift said he was "incredibly grateful and honoured".Other people in East Yorkshire and Hull who were honoured include Leon Myers, head teacher of Swinemoor Primary School in Beverley, Michael Mitchell, who runs the Developing Minds project, Hull College vice principal Ranjit Singh, Jacqueline Crawford and Anita Barnard.
Mr Swift said: "I'm excited that this recognition marks a moment of visibility for sensory theatre created with and for audiences labelled with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD)."He added that the honour reflected "the collective efforts of so many incredible colleagues, collaborators and artists who are dedicated to making the arts more inclusive".He has run special school workshops and supported young people who wish to embark on a career in accessible theatre and produced the first ever West End production specifically designed for audiences labelled with PMLD.Also awarded a MBE is John Thirkettle, who is the manager of Mental Health Operations at Humberside Police.The service ensures that officers responding to emergency calls get the most appropriate care and support for people with mental health issues, the force said.Mr Mitchell will receive a British Empire Medal (BEM) for his work supporting young people entering the railway industry.The Developing Minds project aims to get youngsters from deprived areas into rail engineering and IT.Mr Myers, meanwhile, has been awarded a MBE for services to education.
Ms Crawford, who was awarded a MBE for services to the community in Goole, and Ms Barnard, who received a MBE for her work in foster care in the East Riding, were also honoured.Elsewhere, Mr Singh was awarded an OBE for services to further education.He said it was an "incredible honour"."This recognition is a reflection of all the amazing staff at Hull College, who I have the privilege of working with every day," he said.Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
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