On Father’s Day, Philip and Charlotte Davies of Llanddew were delighted to be told by their daughter Rhiannon that she had been awarded an MBE in the King’s Birthday Honours.

It is in recognition of her campaigning for improvements to the maternity services at the Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust, and across England and Wales.

Rhiannon, originally from Llanddew but now living in Hereford, and her husband Richard, who was also awarded an MBE, have worked tirelessly to uncover failings at the hospital trust.

The aim of their work has been to identify required learning for improvement and to ensure proper funding is in place for the improvements to be embedded.

They began their campaign following the avoidable death of their baby daughter, Kate, at the hands of the trust some 14 years ago. Kate was born on St David’s Day 2009, and due to a catalogue of gross failings in her care, she died just six hours later.

Rhiannon and Richard joined forces in 2016 with another couple, Kayleigh and Colin Griffiths, whose baby Pippa also died an avoidable death at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust. Together, the four took their findings of failings at the hospital trust to former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt and asked him for a review of the additional cases of poor care they had uncovered.

The Ockenden Review into maternity care ensured – and it conclude in 2022 that 201 babies had died needlessly and that 9 mothers has also died avoidably because of failings, and hundreds of others had suffered life changing injuries.

The review demanded action for change, and the government committed a recurrent funding stream to facilitate that change.

In the Review’s dedication it reads: “This review owes its origins to Kate Stanton Davies, and her parents Rhiannon Davies and Richard Stanton; and to Pippa Griffiths, and her parents Kayleigh and Colin Griffiths. Kate’s and Pippa’s parents have shown an unrelenting commitment to ensuring their daughters’ short lives make a difference to the safety of maternity care.”

Former Brecon High School student Rhiannon Davies said: “Together with my husband Richard and our friends and fellow campaigners Kayleigh and Colin, we are truly humbled to have each been recognised for the work we have done to try and improve services to save the lives of other babies and their mothers.

“To have each been awarded an MBE is a great honour – and to have had the privilege of sharing this news with my mum and dad on Father’s Day was just lovely.”