A junior doctor from Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust and a Swanley safeguarding campaigner from Swanley are a among those named in the Queen's New Years Honours List.

Other honours include a police constable in Lambeth, a headteacher in Southwark, an education worker in Croydon and Girl Guide from Bromley.

With 2021 nearly upon us, the New Year Honours List has been published, revealing who will be honoured for their hard work in the new year.

Locally, several people from south London and north Kent have received honours, so here's the details.

Junior doctor Azeem Alam is one of the notable recipients of a British Empire Medal this year for his work with patients and students.

Azeem, who is also a talented songwriter, has been recognised for his services to medical education in his former role at Guys and St Thomas NHS FT during the Covid-19 pandemic.

He was appointed to one of the inaugural undergraduate medical education fellow posts at Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, and has been an integral part of the medical education team since October 2020.

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He has also been nominated for his achievements as the co-founder of BiteMedicine, an online medical education company committed to bringing high quality teaching and support to medical students all over the world.

During lockdown, when teaching was suspended, BiteMedicine provided critical learning to 15,000 students worldwide free of charge, becoming one of the UK’s largest medical education providers. 

Azeem and the team improvised interactive and innovative ways to engage with students, including quizzes and offering support during difficult times.   

Azeem said: “When I first received news of the award I thought it was a scam!

"It’s a huge honour to be recognised for my work during Covid, and I would like to share the accolade with my colleagues.”     

Once lockdown restrictions are eased Azeem will be invited to attend a palace garden party to receive his honour. 

Chief Executive of Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust Ben Travis said: “We are very proud of Azeem and congratulate him on this well deserved award in the field of medical education. He has worked so hard on behalf of students and patients during Covid and is a great support to colleagues.”  

Veteran star of the stage and screen Sheila Hancock has also been made a Dame in the New Years Honours at the age of 87.

The icon of British film attended Dartford County Grammar (now Dartford Grammar School for girls) before embarking on an illustrious career spanning six decades.

Another named in this year's list is David Peason, a life-long safeguarding campaigner central to the creation of a safeguarding charity in Swanley called Thirtyone:Eight.

The Swanley resident, born in Gravesend in 1945, has been awarded a MBE for his work, which started out from a caravan in his driverway.

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But over the last 30 years, the charity has last 40 years to become the largest indepedent faith-based safeguarding charity in the UK.

They have a team of 50 people and engage with a network of over 10,000 organisations, and David's training programme was the first manual of its kind, and has become the standard against which much of the safeguarding guidance and training used in churches today is measured.

David said: “I am honoured to accept this award on behalf of the exceptional people from whom I have learnt so much - survivors of abuse who bravely shared their pain; the untiring efforts of leaders and workers with children and adults in churches and organisations; my colleagues over four decades since I birthed the charity; to my family who have stood and worked with me throughout and with thankfulness, above all else, to God.”

Other local figures include Gwendoline Christina Zammit, who has been recognised for her services to the community in Charlton in Greenwich.

Freda Davis, of the NSPCC, the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, has also been honoured forher services to the field and the community of Bromley.

Lancelot Bamidele Harvey Edmondson is a police constable for the Metropolitan Police Service, and has been honoured for services to community policing in Lambeth.

An executive headteacher for the CHarles Dickens Primary School in Southwark, Cassandra Anna Buchanan, is on the list for services to education.

Samantha Jane Axbey has been honoured for voluntary service to Girlguiding in Wimbledon, London.

Emily Jayne Hollis is also on the list for services to education in the London Borough of Croydon.