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Queen's Birthday Honours: Bristol Pride organiser made MBE

Bhagesh Sachania Daryn CarterBhagesh Sachania
Mr Carter told the BBC he feels "incredibly honoured" to be recognised

The organiser of the annual Bristol Pride event has been made an MBE in the delayed Queen's Birthday Honours list.

Chief operating officer Daryn Carter joined Bristol Pride in 2009 and helped the event grow and win widespread support across the city.

He was due to step down last year but has stayed to help "steer the charity through the challenges of Covid-19".

He told the BBC he felt "incredibly honoured" to be recognised.

"I'm overwhelmed. It is really important for our community and for our work within the LGBT community that it is visible and seen." Mr Carter said.

"I'm accepting this honour in recognition of the support of so many people who have helped Bristol Pride get to where it is today."

Mr Carter helped plan and deliver an online festival this year after the public event was cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The last Pride event in 2019 saw more than 20,000 people take part in a parade through the city.

Pride 2019
The last Bristol Pride event in 2019 saw more than 20,000 people take part

Two other Bristolians appointed MBEs are Barnabas Haughton and Sandra Payne.

Mr Haughton, 70, runs a school which helps impoverished families learn how to cook.

During the pandemic they launched a meal delivery service for families eligible for free school meals and distributed more than 12,000 school meals.

And Mrs Payne, a director at the Brunelcare elderly charity, used her 30 years of clinical experience to quickly put in place a range of measures to safeguard care home patients during the coronavirus lockdown.