Queen's Birthday Honours: Portsmouth Port boss appointed MBE

Stephen Williams told the BBC he was shocked to have been appointed an MBE

A man credited with keeping the operations of a major port going during the coronavirus lockdown has been appointed an MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours list.

Stephen Williams, operations director of Portico in Portsmouth, remained 200 miles away from his family for three months to ensure the shipping of essential supplies could continue.

Mr Williams stepped in to drive cranes and unload ships during that time.

He said getting the honour was a shock.

The 59-year-old, who has worked in the shipping industry for more than three decades, lives with his wife in Grimsby.

"I didn't want to be behind a desk, I didn't want to be behind a computer screen - I wanted to be on the ground supporting the team," he said.

Thousands of containers of essential goods go through Portsmouth

Many of Portico's staff were absent due to the pandemic and Mr Williams had to ensure the workforce was able to manage the regular arrivals of thousands of pallets and containers of goods.

This saw him work long hours in the warehouse and he took a refresher course in crane driving so he could provide support for colleagues.

The appointments committee said: "He led by example, inspiring those at Portico to continue working hard."

Other MBE appointments in Hampshire include Prof Paul Elkington, 50, from Winchester who designed PPE that could be made from cheap and readily available materials in any part of the world.

Rebecca Kennelly, 38, from Preston Candover, was honoured for being in charge of the rapid design and delivery of the NHS Volunteer Responders programme.

Nicole Geraghty, 27, from Southampton, was appointed an MBE for keeping almost 15,000 young people active during lockdown by creating dozens of online Sea Cadet training sessions.

William Macleod, the founder of Veterans in Action, was appointed an MBE for services to veterans during the pandemic.