Solihull domestic violence campaigner named in King’s Birthday Honours

A woman who campaigned to get domestic violence specialists in police control rooms after her sister and aunt were brutally murdered has been appointed an OBE in the King’s Birthday Honours.

Nour Norris, from Solihull in the West Midlands, lead the effort which saw the scheme piloted this year with five police forces, including West Midlands Police.

Her sister, Raneem Oudeh, 22, was murdered along with her mother Khaola Saleem at the hands of Ms Oudeh’s ex-partner Janbaz Tarin, in 2018.

Ms Norris was recognised for her services to “preventing violence against women and girls”.

In February, the government confirmed there would be £2.2m made available to fund the first stages of Raneem’s Law over the next financial year.

At the time, Ms Norris said: “Raneem deserved the help she needed, my sister, Khaola, who broke my heart because she was caught in all of this, deserved to live around her children.

“This is not just about saving lives, it is also about ensuring that victims who survive have the chance to truly live, free from fear and harm.”

Dancer Sonia Sabri has also been recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours, being appointed an MBE.

The 47-year-old, who was born in Wolverhampton and now lives in Birmingham, said she fell in love with dance when she was eight years old and knew by the age of 12 that it would be her career.

She has been honoured for her pioneering work establishing the South Asian dance sector on international stages over the past 20 years.

“I’m so pleased to be recognised. I never imagined a girl like me would be recognised like this – I hope it inspires others to follow their dreams,” she said.

She has worked on a number of high-profile projects, including the opening ceremony of the 2022 Commonwealth Games in her home city.

“I followed my passion and worked hard to show my talent,” she said.

“It’s a shallow world and people don’t just get recognised for their talent but… my moral compass said my work must speak for me and I put 100% into doing that and it’s something I am very proud of.”

She also works with youngsters and children with special educational needs, as well as young offenders, young carers, those suffering abuse and performed hundreds of dance therapy sessions online during lockdown.

Joanne Jones, from Walsall, has similarly been appointed an MBE, for services to education.

She has worked to improve numerous schools, supporting head teachers and staff as a volunteer – helping one school in Kingstanding to be rated as “outstanding” within three years.

The 62-year-old has also campaign at the Houses of Parliament for improved free school meals programmes.

The 62-year-old has also campaign at the Houses of Parliament for improved free school meals programmes.

“I’ve retired now but I think it’s great that the work me and team did – even if it’s after the event – is recognised,” she said.

“I had three deputies who all went on to becomes heads in Birmingham and I think it’s also about spreading the work and the wider impact it has.”

Radio presenter Nikki Tapper has become an MBE for services to broadcasting and the community in the West Midlands.

She said it was “humbling and a joy to know” people had recommended her.

Ms Tapper, a former teacher, presented a gospel music show for BBC Radio WM, which she combined with education work helping vulnerable, young people.

At one stage, she ran a pupil referral unit.

“I really wanted to understand what was going on for them,” she said.

She added she wanted to ensure their “wellbeing and their needs and the trauma that they may have been subjected to could be met by a trusted adult – somebody who would at least listen to them and given them hope”.

At the BBC, she gave platforms to local artists and celebrated their voices “to make them feel as though radio and the BBC belonged to them”.

“A real Brummie”, born in Smethwick, she said she was a child of Jamaican parents, who were Windrush pioneers, adding: “It was a good reason why I chose to accept the MBE.”

She said they would be “extremely proud” and she felt “extremely blessed”.

Other honours recipients from Birmingham and the Black Country include:

• Surdarshan Chana, from Birmingham, has been appointed an MBE for services to music and Sikh culture.

• Christy Acton has been awarded a British Empire Medal (BEM) for helping homeless people in the region by founding the social enterprise Standing Tall in 2020, which matches people experiencing homelessness with a job and a home.

• Kerrie Green, from Rowley Regis, has awarded a BEM for services to the Army Cadet Force and to young people.

• Rachel O’Reilly, from Barnt Green has become an MBE for services to chemistry.