A Wolverhampton Councillor and former Mayor of the City has been appointed as an MBE in the King’s New Year Honours list.

Park ward Councillor Claire Darke has been awarded the prestigious honour for services to Local Government, to Disability and to Suicide Prevention.

When Mayor of the city between 2019 and 2021, Councillor Darke raised money for the Wolverhampton Suicide Prevention Stakeholder Forum as one of her nominated charities.

Speaking about receiving the honour from the King, Councillor Darke said: “It is such an honour to be nominated for an MBE. To know someone would have taken the time to look at all the different things I do, and for my work to be nominated and to be recognised by the King, is truly humbling.

“During my time serving as mayor of the city of Wolverhampton, I chose as one of my mayoral charities Wolverhampton Suicide Prevention Stakeholders Forum to raise funds for the work that goes on in Wolverhampton by all the organisations that are active in the city around suicide prevention.

“This honour is not just for me, but for Wolverhampton itself – a city of resilience, creativity and community spirit. It belongs to every individual and organisation that works tirelessly to make our city a better place.

“My hope for the new year is more work with the city’s suicide prevention partners but also further volunteering on Smestow Valley, Disability Art activity with Digital Disability and other creative activity which is so deeply inspired by Wolverhampton’s vibrant culture and its people”

The current Mayor of Wolverhampton, Councillor Linda Leach, welcomed news of the honour. She said: “I’d like to congratulate Councillor Darke on receiving this tremendous honour from the King.

“Claire did brilliant work as Mayor of the City during the challenging times of the Covid pandemic. Her fundraising for her chosen charities including the Suicide Prevention Stakeholder Forum was very inspiring and it’s wonderful for her work to be recognised in this way.

“She also has a proud track record of serving her local community as a Ward Councillor. This is something everyone in the city can be proud of and I’d like to congratulate all those who were recognised in the New Year Honours.”

The individual honours are announced twice a year to mark The King’s official birthday in June and the New Year Honours announced at the end of December.

Nomination details can be found on the West Midlands Lieutenancy website at www.wmlieutenancy.org