Building support network for grieving dads leads to MBE

The King’s Birthday Honours saw outstanding members of the University of Essex community receiving honours including Director of Communications, Advancement and Stakeholder Engagement Liam Preston who was recognised for his services to the baby loss community.

Others honoured with Essex connections included honorary graduates Dame Helen Mirren, who was made a Companion of Honour, and Sir Chris Mullen, who was knighted, plus alumni across a range of fields including manufacturing, education and pharmaceuticals.

Liam, who is also a Masters students in the Department of Psychosocial and Psychoanalytic Studies, is co-founder of Dad Still Standing, an award-winning podcast that helps dads and partners to navigate losing a baby. The podcast and the training linked to it now provide a toolkit to cope with grief from the moment a parent loses a child, and throughout their life.

Liam said: “When we set out to create the Dad Still Standing Podcast, it was about trying to reach one more bereaved father who was lost and alone in his grief. To now be recognised for this by The King is beyond anything I could have imagined.

“When Paloma died, I didn’t know how I was going to carry on, but finding a purpose and trying to create something positive out of the darkness has helped keep me going.”

Liam has also set up FC Vilomah, a football team of bereaved fathers, and the Vilomah Baby Loss Charity which is providing counselling for those struggling with their grief.

“There is a brotherhood out there,” says Liam, “supporting each other through their loss and showing that it’s okay for men to talk about bereavement and mental health.

“All of this work has been done alongside incredible people and charities who are just trying to make the world an easier place for those suffering one of the worst experiences imaginable.

“I am hoping the honour will be a reminder for me and a beacon for others, that when life throws everything it can at you, the worst that it’s got, you can still make it out the other side.”

Following on from this, Liam hopes to use the skills and knowledge he gains from his MA in Psychodynamic Counselling and Psychotherapy to support children who have lost a sibling.

King’s Birthday Honours at Essex

• Simon Hollingsworth, CBE for services to biomedical research. (Vice President at AstraZeneca, BSc Cell and Molecular Biology 1989)
• Fiona Knight, BEM for services to people with learning disabilities and to autistic people. (Ling Trust Ltd, MA Sociology and Community Mental Health, 1996)
• Dame Helen Mirren, Companion of Honour for services to drama. (Honorary Graduate, 2004)
• Sir Chris Mullin, Knighthood for political and public service. (Honorary Graduate, 2011)
• Liam Preston MBE for services to the baby loss community. (Director of Communications, Advancement and Stakeholder Engagement, University of Essex)
• Dr Nadeem Hasan Rizvi, MBE for services to industrial laser applications in manufacturing. (Director at Laser Micromachining Ltd, BSc Physics with Laser Tech, 1984, and MSc Lasers and their Applications, 1985)
• Jennifer Tolhurst, Commander of the Royal Victorian Order. (Lord Lieutenant of Essex and member of University Court)