A WANSTROW woman received an OBE in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List this month.
Tess Ridge, a social policy professor at the University of Bath, was made an officer of the Order of the British Empire for her services to social sciences.
Tess’s research on children in poverty has been described as ‘ground-breaking’ and has impacted government policy, notably in the 2010 Child Poverty Act.
She has helped local government plan to tackle child poverty, working also with groups like the Children’s Society and the Child Poverty Action Group. She has also been an adviser to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the European Union.
Tess said, “I am delighted that my work has been recognised in this way; it reflects the considerable support that I have received since I started my academic career at the University of Bath.
“I am grateful to all those who have collaborated with me in my research. In particular my thanks go to the many disadvantaged children who have generously shared their experiences of poverty with me. Their accounts have greatly enhanced our understanding of the corrosive impact of childhood poverty in affluent societies.”
The university’s president and vice-chancellor, Professor Dame Glynis Breakwell said, “The University of Bath’s success is rooted in its people, staff and students. Tess Ridge is a great example – an inspiring teacher, generous with her time, encouraging the next generation of social policy experts. Her work is an outstanding example of how robust and rigorous research can influence policy at all levels.”
