While the Queen’s Birthday Honours List 2020 was deferred to mark the achievements of people across the UK in response to COVID-19, many awards mark work before the pandemic.
Tom Taylor, Assistant Director of Security and Operations at the University of Worcester, was given the British Empire Medal. After service in The Royal Green Jackets and The Small Arms School Corps, he joined the university in 2005 to head a newly in-sourced security team. As at other universities, the security service has turned from purely physical protection to student welfare, and making a contribution to safety and harm reduction besides.
Tom said: “It’s a privilege and honour to receive such an award. Recognition for this award is just as much about the hard work and commitment of the team as it is mine. I am lucky to be surrounded by a team who are very supportive and able to respond professionally in many ways to support staff, students and visitors.”
The university, in 2012, gained Community Safety Accreditation, whereby university security staff undergo specialist training and assessment to be given the powers to operate outside the campus and to hand out Fixed Penalty Notices. Tom also led the development of the University’s CCTV systems so successfully that Worcester was the first university in the country, and is still one of just a handful, to be accredited by the Home Office.
Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive, Professor David Green CBE, said: “We are absolutely delighted and proud to learn of Tom’s very well-deserved award. Tom’s personal commitment to student, staff and community wellbeing has had a huge impact for the good at Worcester. His outstanding dedication to community, student and staff safety is evidenced in the very high regard in which he is held by all at the University. Tom, who served with distinction in the British Army for 24 years, finishing his service as Warrant Officer Class 1, has brought vital experience, dynamism and kindness to this vital leadership role at the University.”
Tom has also been behind the university’s Charity of the Year fundraising activities in the last few years, raising thousands of pounds for local charities, by the Three Peaks challenge and a Hadrian’s Wall walk. In 2019 he organised his biggest and most complex challenge, a 100 miles in 100 hours challenge, which helped to raise more than £15,000 for Smile for Joel, set up in memory of Joel Richards, a 19-year-old University of Worcester student murdered in the Tunisian terror attacks in 2015.
Among those who gained awards in the Queen’s birthday honours list, Thomas Hurd, Director-General for the Office for Security and Counter Terrorism (OSCT) at the Home Office for the last four years, was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath. Awards also went to John Hayday, Security and Business Continuity at BT and Philip Horwood, Security Projects Manager at the Scottish Parliament (MBE); and Andrew Price, Heathrow Airport security manager, and Abu Ahmed and Thomas Drew of the OSCT (OBE).
For the full list of 1,495 honours visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/birthday-honours-list-2020-cabinet-office.
