18 December 2025
Three graduates have been recognised, including Kylie Dixon, who received her MBE from Princess Ann for services to social enterprise and female entrepreneurship
A University of Sunderland graduate has been presented with her MBE by the Princess Royal, Her Royal Highness Princess Anne at St James’s Palace.
Kylie Dixon, from Seaham, was awarded the honour in the King's Birthday Honours list 2025 in recognition of her services to social enterprise and female entrepreneurship, supporting women-led businesses through The Northern Lass Lounge, an online community she founded in 2020.
Kylie graduated from the University with a BA (Hons) Fine Art degree in 2015 and is now a children’s author, illustrator and business mentor. Her community supports around 6,500 women directly and more than 20,000 indirectly.
She recently received her MBE from Her Royal Highness Princess Anne, with the pair discussing Kylie’s work, the scale of the community she has built and her plans to expand its impact nationally.
Speaking about the moment she learned she would receive an MBE, Kylie said: “It was completely surreal. My first reaction was disbelief I genuinely thought there had been a mistake. I didn’t cry straight away; I think I went very quiet. I then legged it round to my parents like Charlie Bucket with his golden ticket.”
Before founding The Northern Lass Lounge, Kylie spent 18 years working in banking. In 2019, she left the sector to pursue a creative career after finding inspiration during a walk-through local woodland, where she discovered a clearing filled with thousands of tiny mushrooms.
The experience led to Mushroom Marvellous, her first creative business, with mushrooms becoming a recurring motif in her artwork, inspired by old English folklore where they symbolise hope and new beginnings.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Kylie began hosting online art sessions for families and went on to write her first children’s book. Her trilogy, The Magical World of Mushroom Marvellous, has since become a regional success and even inspired a dish on BBC’s Great British Menu by Michelin-star chef Cal Byerley.
In 2020, after struggling to find affordable support for women starting businesses, Kylie created a Facebook group to share advice and build confidence. That group later became The Northern Lass Lounge, which is now a limited company with a social enterprise arm, seven directors and a range of mentoring and training programmes.
Reflecting on the past year, Kylie said: “2025 has been a year of deepening rather than just scaling. The Northern Lass Lounge has continued to grow, but more importantly, its grown roots. We’ve seen women move from ideas to income, from burnout to clarity, and from isolation to genuine community.
"Some real standout moments have been watching members smash some incredible milestones and my favourite is always when they manage to create a business which allows them to leave a job they feel trapped in.”
For Kylie, the award has not only reinforced her belief in the value of community-led work, but it has also strengthened her ability to advocate for women-led businesses.
She said: “I’ve always believed that community-led, heart-centred work matters, even when it doesn’t look traditional or easy to measure. This recognition tells me that kind of work is worthy of being seen.
“Professionally, it gives The Northern Lass Lounge credibility in spaces that don’t always take grassroots women’s work seriously.
“It opens doors, but more importantly, it gives me a stronger platform to advocate for women-led businesses, creativity, and community-first approaches.
“This MBE doesn’t belong to me alone. It belongs to every woman who’s ever walked into the Lounge feeling unsure and left feeling more capable.
“I hope it shows our community that their voices matter, their businesses matter, and that change doesn’t have to come from the top down.”
Alongside online work, Kylie is developing a community allotment space in Seaham as a creative and wellbeing project.
For others hoping to make change in their own communities, Kylie said action matters more than perfection.
“Start where you are, with what you have, and trust that small actions add up,” she said.
"You don’t need permission, perfection, or a five-year plan. Consistency is key and being kind to yourself as well as others. Community change doesn’t come from doing everything; it comes from doing something, again and again, with care.”
Meanwhile, a further two Sunderland graduates have been honoured in this year's King's New Years Honours list.
2012 Social Sciences graduate Jane Wheeler, has been awarded an MBE for services to Children and Families, and 1991 Combined Studies graduate Brendan Tapping has been awarded an OBE for service to Education.
Jane is Early Help Service Assistant Director, Prevention and Youth Justice at Sunderland City Council and has dedicated her career to strengthening early help services and improving outcomes for children and families. She has provided long-term personal support to a vulnerable care leaver with complex needs and, in her role as Early Help Service Manager in Sunderland, played a key role in building a Family Help service.
The service was recognised by Ofsted in its 2022 inspection report as a highly successful initiative, supporting families earlier and preventing escalation into crisis.
Brendan is CEO of Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust. Brendan’s first teaching post was in Hartlepool in 1991, before moving on to various roles, including headteacher and executive headteacher, across schools in South Shields, Peterlee and Hebburn.
Brendan, who has now worked in education for more than 34 years, said he is looking forward to continuing his work with Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust in the coming years.
In addition to his role with the Trust, Brendan is also on various boards including Schools North East, Housing Innovation and Construction Skills Academy (HICSA, Sunderland), Teach First Strategy Board and the Regional Schools Commissioner CEO Board.