Three UK Cypriots honoured in the Queens birthday honours list.à
UK Cypriot Bernadette Michaelides who was awarded an MBE for services to community nursing in Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Her origins are from Nicosia in Cyprus.
Another UK Cypriot Kerry Kyriacos Michael the former artistic director of Theatre Royal Stratford East has been recognised in the Queen’s birthday honours.Kerry Michael, who stepped down last year after 13 years in the role, has been
made a MBE for services to the arts.
Kerry Kyriacos Michael said, “As a second-generation Cypriot whose parents migrated to the UK in the 60’s as part of Britain’s Empire I was proud to receive the MBE.
I was also honoured to be nominated by Sir Nick Kenyon, in recognition of the brilliant collaborative work between Theatre Royal Stratford East and Barbican Centre. What was achieved at Stratford East during my tenure took the skills and talents of many people and I want to thank everyone who I worked with.”
Kerry Michael was Artistic Director and Chief Executive of Theatre Royal Stratford East from September 2004 to September 2017. For 13 years, he forged the Theatre’s commitment to develop new work and provide a platform for voices under-represented.
Kerry’s theatre directing credits includes: Cosh Omar’s The Battle of Green Lanes, John Adams’ opera, I Was Looking At The Ceiling And Then I Saw The Sky (co-produced with Barbican), The Harder They Come, (transferred to the West End and subsequently to Canada and the USA), Ray Davies’ Come Dancing (Winner What’s On Stage Best New Musical), and a new production of The Who’s Tommy – (Winner UK Theatre Awards Best Touring Production 16/17). Under Kerry’s leadership, Theatre Royal Stratford East was nominated for an Olivier Award in 2007 for ‘a powerful season of provocative work that reaches new audiences.’ Pied Piper also won an Olivier Award that year and Kerry’s production of Cinderella was nominated. Other nominations include You Me B*m B*m Train, Roadkill, Oh What A Lovely War and The Government Inspector. In March 2018 Kerry won Artistic Director of the Year at the OFF WEST END Awards.
The third UK Cypriot was 94 year old Fylaktis Philippou who received an OBE for services to hairdressing and to the community in St James, London. Fylaktis was a barber from a young boy and owned and worked Briggs Barbers in St James London.
The biannual honours pay tribute to those who have contributed to British life in the arts, sciences or public service, and included an award for 103-year old Rosemary Powell, a volunteer for the Royal British Legion for 97 years.
Actress Thompson and classicist Mary Beard, a professor at the University of Cambridge, were made dames while Ishiguro, the author of “The Remains of the Day” received a knighthood, as did Kenny Dalglish, for services to soccer and charity.
Dalglish, 67, won three European Cups and six league titles as a Liverpool player and then managed the club in two spells. He was also recognised for his work in supporting the victims of the Hillsborough stadium disaster.
Such honours have been awarded since Queen Victoria’s reign and aim to recognise not just well-known figures but those who have contributed to national life through often selfless and unsung contributions over many years.
Ber Helfgott was knighted for using his public profile as a Holocaust survivor to encourage community cohesion and combat intolerance, while Frances Carolyn Saunders was given a damehood for attracting young people from diverse backgrounds into engineering.
