New Year Honours for Downing alumni
Congratulations to Downing alumni Dr Ian Vincent (1970) and James Viney (2003) who both received awards in the King’s New Year Honours list.
Dr Ian Vincent (1970)
Ian was awarded a BEM for services to croquet.
The award recognises Ian’s involvement in the sport for 50 years. He was Honorary Secretary of Nottingham Croquet Club for 38 years and has served as Club President since 2016. He was also active in the national Croquet Association for many years, particularly in the development of the laws and rules of the sport and was elected as one of its Vice-Presidents last year.
Ian has Downing to thank for his enthusiasm for the sport after being invited to play during a visit to College in the summer before he matriculated. Ian would play on courts that were marked out in the Paddock. During his final year he won Cuppers playing the final against Trinity outside their Wren Library.
Ian said: “I am very pleased to accept this honour in recognition of the exceptional voluntary service given by members of the Nottingham Croquet Club over the years I have played there, during which it has developed into the thriving organisation it is today. None of this would have been possible without the effort of its many volunteers and support from the Nottingham City Council and the National Croquet Association.”
James Viney (2003)
Lieutenant Colonel James Viney received an MBE for his role as 16 Air Assault’s Brigade’s Deputy Chief of Staff. During his time in this position, James led on all logistics, personnel planning, and operations for several short-notice overseas operations. The most challenging of these was Operation PITTING in August 2021 where a force of around 1,000 were deployed to Kabul to extract as many eligible people as they could in an ever-collapsing timeframe.
He said: “I’m utterly shocked to have been selected for the award, it still hasn’t quite sunk in yet. I see it very much as a reflection of the first-rate support I received from my military colleagues and my family – especially my partner Jess.”
Published 18 January 2024