A cycling club founder who has helped raise more than £2 million for charity and an industry leader are among those recognised in the King’s New Year Honours.
Barking Badgers cycling club founder Andy Dewhurst, of Mudeford, has been awarded the British Empire Medal for his charitable service.
And Reidsteel managing director Simon Boyd was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his contributions to the British steel industry.
Andy Dewhurst wearing a jersey donated to him by Action Medical ResearchA Barking Badgers group finishing a ride in Trieste, Italy in 2023
Mr Dewhurst said his charitable work began in 2004 when he joined a charity bike ride from London to Paris alongside his work colleagues in support of Action Medical Research (AMR).
“When my boss and I got back we both said we had really loved the trip and had a great time,” Mr Dewhurst told the A&T, “so in 2005 I decided to organise a private bike tour for friends and family to the Dolomites. There were about 50 of us and we decided we would continue to support AMR.
Andy riding in the Alps in 2025
“It’s all carried on from there – we’ve completed a charity ride every year since then except for one due to Covid.”
Mr Dewhurst said the Barking Badgers’ trips have raised more than £2 million for AMR, with groups of between 45 and 70 cyclists riding throughout Europe including routes in France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Austria and Slovenia.
A Barking Badgers group riding through Slovenia
“We’ve decided to continue supporting AMR on all those rides because they are a wonderful charity who fund vital research into treating diseases and disability in babies and children, it’s been an enduring relationship.”
Now an ambassador for AMR, Mr Dewhurst said he was bitten by the cycling bug after previously completing “a few triathlons”. He is currently organising the cycling club’s next trip – a four-day ride in the Asturias region of Spain beginning on 3 June. He added that being made a BEM was a “wonderful surprise and an honour”.
Reidsteel managing director Simon Boyd
Managing director of Christchurch-based Reidsteel, Simon Boyd, said he is proud to have been made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE).
He received the award in recognition of his decades of service to British steel manufacturing and small and medium-sized enterprises.
“For decades I have been doing my best to try and protect our industry and to the bring to the surface the real issues facing UK businesses,” he said. “I am delighted to be awarded this honour in recognition of this work, and at the same time I feel quite humbled by the experience.
“I would not be able to do the work I do without the help and support of my colleagues and the guidance of wise friends. It hasn’t quite sunk in yet.
“A big thank you to those who proposed and supported that I be recognised for my work through such a prestigious honour.”
Mr Boyd has been recognised for his business leadership as a trustee of the Jobs Foundation charity and was appointed chair of its South West division in September 2025.
He has been a non-executive board member of Dorset Chamber since 2019 and was elected vice-president for 2026 at its annual meeting this month.
He also recently campaigned to save British Steel’s sole surviving blast furnaces in Scunthorpe and for the company to be brought under public ownership. Under Mr Boyd’s leadership, Reidsteel was the first steelwork contractor to sign the UK Steel Charter in support of the UK steel making industry.