Birthday Honours: Devon women rewarded for Covid response

Kate Tantam, Peta Hustwayte and Sacha Romanovitch have all been honoured for their response to the coronavirus pandemic

Three women from Devon are being honoured for the parts they played in responding to the coronavirus pandemic.

An intensive care nurse, a special school teacher and a business leader have been named in the Queen's Birthday Honours list.

The list was postponed from June in order to include people who have been instrumental in the Covid-19 effort.

It celebrates the good deeds of big names as well as ordinary people during the pandemic.

'I work with an amazing team'

Peta Hustwayte works at The Greater Horseshoe School, an independent special school for students with complex needs

Peta Hustwayte, from Newton Abbot, has been a teacher since 2012 and is being awarded a British Empire Medal.

She works at independent special school The Greater Horseshoe, where she was responsible for a home-learning package for students unable to attend the school, which stayed open throughout lockdown.

Miss Hustwayte said it was "so lovely to be recognised for teaching, for doing my job" but said her colleagues "probably deserved [an award] just as much as I do".

"I work with an amazing team," she said.

'I am an incredibly proud nurse'

Kate Tantam said she was an incredibly proud nurse and "I just love what I do"

Kate Tantam, from Plymouth, is a senior sister in intensive care at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust.

The 39-year-old is being awarded a British Empire Medal for services to improving patient experience during Covid-19.

In March, she was at the forefront of creating extra intensive care capacity in the space of a week.

She was also instrumental in the development of a secret garden for patient rehabilitation and staff resilience.

Mrs Tantam said the honour was "the biggest surprise of my life".

She said: "This award is in my name but I am a very tiny cog in a massive organisation.

"This is about team work and working together to make it better for patients."

'Supporting financial wellbeing'

Sacha Romanovitch is the CEO of Fair4All Finance

Exmouth business leader Sacha Romanovitch has been appointed OBE for her services to business.

Ms Romanovitch, 52, is the CEO of Fair4All Finance, which helps to support the financial wellbeing of those with low financial resilience.

In 2020, she led Fair4All Finance's work on their Affordable Credit Scale Up Programme and Covid-19 Resilience Fund.

Ms Romanovitch said it was "a real honour" and added "both my amazing team and the people on the frontline who are doing this amazing work" were the people who needed to be showcased.

"I am surrounded by people who are doing all the work," she said.