New Year's Honours: MBEs for three Rochdalians

Three people from the Rochdale borough have been made Members of the British Empire in the King’s New Year’s Honours.

Luke Rigg JP has been made an MBE for services to diversity in the judiciary; Tori Olphin has been made an MBE for services to technology in the public sector, and Yassamin Sheel has been made an MBE for her services to children.

Mr Rigg, originally from Littleborough but now living in Hertfordshire, is the lead diversity and community relations magistrate for England and Wales. In this role he launched a first-of-its-kind Employer Recognition Scheme to encourage employers to support the magistracy, in conjunction with the Lord Lieutenant of Hertfordshire, and has influenced a growth in the number and proportion of magistrates under the age of 40.

Mr Rigg’s interest in magistracy started as a teenager in 2011 when he attended an open day event at a local magistrates’ court.

He said: “The event opened my eyes to the unique volunteering opportunity that being a magistrate provided to members of the public.

“I started to research the magistracy and discovered the lack of diversity among sitting magistrates, particularly when it came to age, with less than 5 per cent of magistrates under the age of 40, and less than 1 per cent under 30.

“At the time, I knew I wanted to make a contribution and a difference to society but wasn’t sure how best to achieve it. I realised I could try to make a difference by becoming a magistrate and influencing its future.

“I finally made the decision to apply for the role at the age of 19 and, fast forward a year, I was successful and was sworn in as a magistrate at Bradford Crown Court in 2014 at the age of 20, then the youngest magistrate in the country.”

He continued: “I have always had a passion for improving diversity and inclusion, which led to my election as the first ever national chair of the Magistrates’ Association’s young magistrates network, which represents hundreds of magistrates under the age of 40.

“During my time as national chair, I was able to significantly raise the profile and voice of young magistrates, and I helped influence major initiatives, such as the national magistrate recruitment and attraction scheme and new support materials for employed magistrates.”

In 2021, Mr Rigg was appointed as a diversity and community relations magistrate (DCRM) for Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire, and last year was appointed as the first-ever Lead DCRM for England Wales.

He has recently been invited to become a Deputy Lieutenant of Hertfordshire and hopes to officially become a Presiding Justice (PJ) in the Youth Court. He believes he may be youngest Youth PJ in the country.

Of his award, Mr Rigg said: “I feel incredibly grateful to have been recognised in this way. Being a magistrate is a real passion of mine, and working with others to improve the structure and systems is something I get a lot out of, so for it to have been rewarded in this way is just a bonus.

“I hope it will inspire other young people to consider becoming a magistrate, and indeed other magistrates to think about how they can help to promote diversity within the magistracy. 

“There have been a few people in leadership positions who have supported me without which I wouldn’t have been able to achieve some of my initiatives. In particular, I wanted to thank Duncan Webster, National Leadership Magistrate, who has provided support and mentorship in my leadership roles.

“I would also like to thank the hundreds of young magistrates with whom I’ve worked, who take on this important role whilst juggling their day job, caring and other responsibilities.

“I will continue to work on initiatives that promote diversity in the magistracy.”

Tori Olphin, chief data scientist and head of research for Thames Valley Police’s Violence Reduction Unit, received her MBE for her services to technology in the public sector. She has served for over three years with Thames Valley Police and leads approaches to research, evaluation and the application of technology to keep communities safe.

Ms Olphin has also developed what has become the largest randomised control trial (RCT) of the impact of hotspot policing, which has been highlighted as national best practice by the Home Office and the College of Policing.

Ms Olphin said: “It is an enormous privilege to be working in a role where I can directly assist the way that we keep people safe, by conducting research and developing new tools and approaches, particularly for the most vulnerable in our society.  

“The way that we use technology brings huge opportunities to our communities, but through my work I have made it a priority that we do so with transparency and to benefit all in a fair and open way.  

“I am incredibly honoured to receive this award and am extremely grateful to those I work with and for the opportunity to continue my work in this exciting and challenging area.

Yassamin Sheel, national lead at United Teaching, has been awarded her MBE for services to children.

United Teaching has been approached for further information.

Additional awards given out at this year’s honours include a British Empire Medal for Helen Walton, founder of the Rochdale Giving Back Charity, and a Knights Bachelor for Rochdale-born politician, Sajid Javid MP.
 

Read more: New Year Honours: Helen Walton, founder of Rochdale Giving Back charity, awarded British Empire MedalPublished: 29 December 2023