THE founder of one of the country’s most famous cycling sportives, a charitable worker and a nuclear safety expert are among those being awarded accolades to mark Her Majesty’s 90th.

More: Famous faces recognised by the Queen

The 2016 Queen’s Birthday Honours list has seen 71-year-old Paul Loftus receive an MBE for services to charitable fundraising, through the Saddleback Fred Whitton Challenge. The Foxfield cycling enthusiast helped set up the very first event back in 1999, and for 16 years was its lead organiser. Lakes Road Club, which runs the sportive, has recently named him president of the challenge.

Its main charity being Macmillan Cancer Support, with donations also being made to Duddon and Furness Mountain Rescue and the North West Air Ambulance, the Fred Whitton has raised more than £1million over the years. Having started as a one-off event with around 60 to 70 cyclists, competitors from all over Europe now enter annual lotteries to try and get one of its highly-sought-after 2,500 places.

Mr Loftus said: “Never in our wildest dreams did we see it becoming what it is. It’s still a charitable organisation, it’s still run entirely by volunteers, but it’s known as the hardest one-day ride you can do in this country.

“It’s also a big showcase of the Lake District and Cumbria. Once people have been, they tend to want to come again, and they come for longer with their families.”

Asked how his club will react to his royal accolade, Mr Loftus laughed and added: “We will probably be visiting a pub somewhere, I imagine.”

Other Cumbrian recipients of birthday honours this weekend include William Barrie Wendt, of Coniston, who was given the MBE for voluntary services to Oxfam.

Dr Roger Coates has been awarded the OBE for services to Nuclear Safety and Radiological Protection. The 69-year-old, originally from Halifax, has lived in Bouth for 20 years.

He said: “I feel very, very privileged. As well as having that personal honour, it’s also nice to see work in nuclear safety and radiation protection recognised.”

Dr Coates joined the Health and Safety Department at Sellafield in 1975 and worked for British Nuclear Fuels (BNFL) for more than 30 years. Having become acting director of environment, health and safety for BNFL in 2000, he retired in 2006.

Dr Coates then took a post with the UN International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, where he helped support the Iraqi government in decommissioning their war-damaged nuclear facilities. Since 2008, he has been a non-executive director at the LLW Repository Ltd in West Cumbria.

Dr Coates has spent many years putting his expertise and experience to use at a voluntary level. He served as president of the national Society for Radiological Protection in 1995/6 and, in 2012, led the organisation of a major international congress held in Glasgow within his role as vice president for congress affairs for the International Radiation Protection Association (IRPA). He was elected IRPA vice president for 2012-2016 during that event and, in May this year, was named president for 2016-2020.

Dr Coates said: “It’s a cliche but, I‘ve had a good career, I’ve gained a lot of interesting experience, and there really is just a desire to put something back into the provision of radiation protection and to help use that experience and expertise to help provide for the future.

“There are challenges in the world of radiation protection and it’s nice to be able to help solve some of them.”

The full list of Cumbrian recipients of the Queen‘s Birthday Honours:

ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE

OBE

Dr Roger Coates. For services to Nuclear Safety and Radiological Protection. (Ulverston, Cumbria)

Dr The Reverend Canon David Peacock. Founder and Chair, Cumbria Reducing Re-offending Partnership Trust. For services to Rehabilitation and Reducing Re-offending.

MBE

Mrs Ruth Atkinson. Communities director, Eden District Council. For services to Local Government. (Penrith, Cumbria)

Dr Graham Andrew Fairhall. For services to UK Nuclear Energy Research and Development. (Cleator Moor, Cumbria)

Paul Loftus. For services to charitable fundraising through the Saddleback Fred Whitton Cycle Challenge Cumbria. (Broughton, Cumbria)

Mrs Denise Carol Mace. Human Resources manager, University of Cumbria. For services to Higher Education and the community in North Lancashire. (Carnforth, Lancashire)

William Barrie Wendt. For voluntary services to Oxfam. (Coniston, Cumbria)

BRITISH EMPIRE MEDAL

BEM

William Morley. For services to the community in Cleator Moor Cumbria. (Cleator Moor, Cumbria)

Raymond Joseph Richardson. For services to the community in Natland Cumbria. (Kendal, Cumbria)