Dr Stephen Battersby, former President of the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH), and now a Vice President, collected the MBE awarded in the 2014 Birthday Honours list on 5 December.
The award of Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire was presented by the Queen in the Waterloo Chamber of Windsor Castle and was in recognition of his services to environmental health. Dr Battersby was accompanied by his wife Cynthia, his elder son Richard and his fiancée Sarah Heath.
Dr Battersby said: ‘Her Majesty asked about what I did in environmental health and was most interested in my research work on rats as a reservoir of infections and the risks to public health. I was so concerned about getting the protocol right and not falling over my own feet, it is hard to remember the whole conversation and I probably burbled!
Dr Battersby worked for the CIEH as Assistant Secretary from 1980 to 1988. During that time, he worked closely with Bill Randall in establishing EHN magazine. He was also involved in campaigns to improve areas of environmental health and housing legislation and that has continued, for example, the transfer of private sewers to the water and sewerage companies was the result of his work after he set up the Campaign for the Renewal of Older Sewerage Systems with CIEH Vice President Joan Walley, MP.
He was Chair of the CIEH Council in 2005 and served as President of the organisation from 2008 to 2011. While holder of these posts, he initiated significant changes, first on reducing the size of the Council and then on the review of the governance. He was invited to be a Vice President in 2013.
CIEH Chief Executive, Graham Jukes, said: ‘Stephen’s award from the Queen is richly deserved and hugely welcomed by the whole environmental health community. Throughout his career he has been at the forefront of so many changes that have affected the work of the profession and the CIEH and his award is rightful recognition of his dedication and support.’
This has been a remarkable year for those working in environmental health with Graham Jukes receiving an OBE, and MBEs awarded to EHOs Jenny Morris, Major James Fawcett and Rachel Starling