Horizon campaigners to receive honours from Princess Royal
Subpostmaster campaigners Lee Castleton, Seema Misra and Chris Head will be made OBEs by the Princess Royal at an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle on Wednesday afternoon.
The former subpostmasters, who have campaigned for victims of the Post Office Horizon scandal to receive compensation, are among dozens of people being honoured, including former West Midlands mayor Sir Andy Street and actor Eddie Marsan.
Mr Castleton, Ms Misra and Mr Head were all made Officers of the British Empire in the King’s New Years Honours list.
Speaking to the PA news agency at the time, Mr Castleton, from Bridlington, East Yorkshire, said the recognition proved that “sometimes you have to step forward and shout as loud as you can”.
Mr Castleton went bankrupt in 2004 after being sued by the Post Office over claims that there was a £25,000 shortfall at his branch which he could not account for.
The ITV drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office has since forced his case into the spotlight, and in March he took on Fujitsu and the Post Office in a High Court action alleging they had failed to disclose flaws in their software.
Ms Misra has been campaigning for Horizon scandal victims since having a conviction overturned in April 2021, in which she had been accused of stealing £70,000 from her post office in West Byfleet, Surrey and sent to jail despite being pregnant.
Mr Head was the youngest subpostmaster in the UK, aged just 18, when the Post Office pursued him through the courts for shortfalls of £80,000.
He has since set up petitions calling for compensation which have received more than 550,000 signatures.
Anne will also give an OBE honour to actor Eddie Marsan, who recently played Amy Winehouse’s father Mitch in the film Back To Black.
The son of a lorry driver and a school dinner lady, Mr Marsan was raised on a council estate in Bethnal Green.
After hearing that he was on the New Year Honours list, Mr Marsan said he wanted to share his OBE with Bethnal Green and his family.
Anne will also knight the former mayor of the West Midlands Sir Andy Street.
The Conservative politician held the position for two terms before being defeated in last May’s elections by Labour candidate Richard Parker.
Inspector Morse and Lewis actor Kevin Whately will also be made an OBE.
The actor will be one of 70 people receiving honours in the morning ceremony, including Olympic cycling gold medallist Sophie Capewell and Paralympian wheelchair fencing double gold medallist Dimitri Coutya, who will both be made MBEs.
