Trust Colleagues Recognised in New Years Honours

Two Trust colleagues have been recognised in the 2025 New Years Honours for their incredible contributions to service improvement and excellence.

Velindre Cancer Charity Ambassador Craig Maxwell was awarded an OBE for his extraordinary commitment to fundraising for cancer services in Wales.

Craig began working with the charity following his stage 4 incurable cancer diagnosis in 2022. He has since founded the Maxwell Family Fund and raised over £1.5 million to support cancer services in Wales.

Craig’s journey is nothing short of extraordinary. From completing monumental cycling challenges, including Cardiff to Paris and Paris to Bordeaux, to conquering Mount Toubkal in Morocco, walking 780 miles of the Wales Coastal Path, running the London Marathon, and so much more, Craig has shown us all what it means to channel adversity into action. His unwavering dedication and extraordinary efforts to help others despite his personal circumstances have consistently gone above and beyond, making this remarkable recognition a fitting tribute to his heartfelt mission. We are immensely proud to celebrate this well-earned honour with him.

“It is an incredible honour to receive the OBE. The support we have received as a family has been inspirational, enabling us to navigate through some of the most challenging years of our lives and transform the darkest of times into a force for good. Together with hundreds of dedicated fundraisers, we have raised over £1.5 million in essential funds to support the cancer pathway in Wales.

We are deeply grateful to everyone who has supported us along the way, and want to express our heartfelt thanks to the doctors, nurses, and the entire team at Velindre, whose unwavering care has kept me going and empowered us to continue our mission.

While this recognition is truly humbling, our work is far from finished. We remain committed to supporting the fight against cancer and look forward to making a lasting impact in the years ahead. Thank you once again to all those who have helped us on this journey.” 

 - Craig Maxwell OBE

Lee Wong has been awarded an MBE for her incredible career at the Welsh Blood Service, which has spanned more than 43 years across several roles.

Lee’s journey with the Welsh Blood Service began in 1980, when she joined as a trainee Medical Laboratory Security Officer (MLSO), now referred to as a Biomedical Scientist. She qualified four years later, having rotated between various WBS lab departments, including General Lab (now Automated Testing), Microbiology, Reference Serology (now Red Cell Immunohematology), Processing, and Reagents (now merged with RCI).

Lee then became a senior MLSO in the General Lab two years later having gained a Fellowship of the Institute of Biomedical Science. She was then named chief MLSO, heading up the Reagents lab, and embedded the WASPs EQA scheme, which is still utilised today. Following the merger of Reference Serology Reagents and Immunohematology, Lee became chief MLSO and moved to the role of Laboratory Training Manager.

In her final role here at WBS as National Blood Health Advisory Team Lead, Lee led the formation of the Blood Health National Organisation Group (BHNOG) in 2017 to oversee the implementation of NHS Wales’ Blood Health Plan and other Wales wide initiatives.

Lee retired in April but returned to WBS recently as Lead Scientist, Projects and Education.

Lee’s MBE recognises her determination to go above and beyond the call of duty her roles have asked of her. She was instrumental in incorporating North Wales into the Welsh Blood Service in 2016, removing the region’s dependence on England’s NHS Blood and Transplant for the first time.

In her role as chair of the UK & Ireland Blood Transfusion Network, Lee was a fierce advocate of patient safety, population health and equity.

Lee led the implementation of a standardised national process to identify and treat anaemia pre-operatively, reducing transfusion rates by 52% and hospital stay by an average of 2 days making the system here is Wales one of the best in the world.

She was a pivotal figure in developing NVQs to offer support staff a pathway to becoming qualified Biomedical Scientists through part-time study. And it was in this role that she gained a PGCE for adult teaching, as well as a level 7 coaching and mentoring qualification. Through her roles, Lee has developed training and resources for a wide range of healthcare professionals including paramedics, nurses and final year medical students.

"We’re thrilled Lee is receiving this honour. It’s a thoroughly deserved recognition for her incredible contribution to the Welsh Blood Service over her career. 

Lee has been at the forefront of ground-breaking practice in her role as National Blood Health Advisory Team Lead, spearheading Wales-wide initiatives that have advanced the work of the Blood Health National Oversight Group immeasurably.

Lee is a great professional to be around and has pushed the Service forwards in challenging times with energy and a smile.”

- Alan Prosser, WBS Director