Olympian and World Cup winning duo receive honours

5 hours ago 1

Olympic gold medal climber Toby Roberts said he was speechless after he found out he was to be a recipient of a New Year Honour.

Roberts, from Godalming, Surrey, became the first British Olympic gold medal winning sport climber in Paris in 2024, at the age of 19.

Upon being appointed an MBE for services to sport climbing, he said: "I got home from a training trip, and I just saw it sitting there. I didn't really know what it was, opened it, and it was a bit of a shock."

Meanwhile, Women's Rugby World Cup winner Marlie Packer and England head coach John Mitchell have been appointed OBEs.

Roberts is involved in encouraging young climbers through outreach programmes and events and has worked with The British Mountaineering Council and Climb Scotland to provide coaching and mentoring.

"I just couldn't ever imagine getting something like that. It's just such a privilege to be able to receive an honour like that. It really means a lot," he said.

Roberts said that it had been an "incredible journey" from when he started climbing as a child.

He added: "Not only have I been able to just perform the best for myself. I've been able to inspire some people to get themselves into the climbing gym, and that's what really means a lot."

At 20, Roberts is the youngest recipient this year.

Meanwhile, Ms Packer, from Godalming, and Mr Mitchell, from Woking, have appointed OBEs for services to rugby union after England won the Women's World Cup.

Sunbury-on-Thames' Simone Fisher, the director of equality, diversity and inclusion at the Professional Footballers Association, was also appointed an MBE for services to football.

A woman with short hair, hoop earrings and a pink shirt smiling at the camera.

Away from sport, Jennifer Rayner has been appointed an MBE for services to mental health for her work with The Lucy Rayner Foundation, which she started after her daughter took her own life.

She said she was "a little bit shocked, a little bit surprised, a little bit emotional" when she found out she was to be a recipient of a New Year Honour.

"My daughter had the letter, and she was holding it up and saying to me, 'Look what's come in the post,' and I thought it was jury service," Ms Rayner said.

The Lucy Rayner Foundation supports others by raising awareness of the signs and symptoms of mental health issues in young people, while having its own counselling team.

"If someone had said to me 13 years ago when I first started the charity that at the end of this, I was going to be recognised with an MBE, I would say, 'no way'," she said.

"It doesn't feel real to be honest, because I'm just an ordinary person doing something from the heart."

Meanwhile, Kathryn Peters, from Epsom, has also been appointed an MBE for services to journalism.

The former BBC bureau chief for Russia and Ukraine spent more than 30 years with the corporation.

Headmaster of Barrow Hills School in Godalming, John Francis Towers, has also been appointed an MBE for services to education, while former Reigate and Banstead councillor Rachel Turner has been awarded an BEM for political service.

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