A 92-year-old businesswoman who still works from the office of her skincare company in Peterborough will become a Dame in the King’s Birthday Honours.
Evelyn Taylor OBE is the founder of Eve Taylor and has been awarded the DBE for her services to business.
She is a pioneer of aromatherapy and has been championing its benefits for over six decades.
Her work has taken her around the world.
When asked how she felt about receiving the honour, Mrs Taylor said: “I’m very excited, I must admit.”
She explains how she continues to go to work every day and has a magnifier over her computer to help her read the screen.
Her first move into the beauty world was as a sales rep for Avon when she had a young family.
Mrs Taylor said: “I was pretty good at it and would get lots of sales.
“But I was particularly interested in what goes into the products and I learned about basic chemistry and the doors opened for me.
“I loved the mixing and the stirring; I still love it.
“Every day, I wear our winter oil product and I’ve never had covid. It helps me immensely.”
She delved into offering beauty treatments, was an examiner at City and Guilds and explored various alternative therapies from around the world.
Her skincare company Eve Taylor London was established in 1963 and Mrs Taylor received the OBE in 2008.
She said: “I’m absolutely passionate and believe in what I do. I love it, and I still get excited about it.”
The King’s Birthday Honours list was released at the weekend.
Karen Harvey, from Upwell, near Wisbech, was also included and has been awarded the MBE for helping people who have fallen on hard times access toiletries.
The project grew significantly over the years and now provides products to over 800 charitable organisations in the UK and around the world.
Last year, Toiletries Amnesty helped 4m people compared with 2.25m in 2022. In 2021, they reached 250,000.
The items sent to beneficiaries can be either brand new or already opened.
Karen said: “A women’s refuge will happily take a bottle of shampoo or perfume. It doesn’t matter if it has already been opened, or not.
“Brands also offer us pallets and pallets of their products they no longer want for example, and yes, we will take it.
“We then pass them to organisations that will certainly make good use of them.”
Meanwhile, the OBE was awarded to Stephen Johnson-Proctor, a regional director for the East of England Probation Services based out of Cambridgeshire.
He said: “Although this recognises my policing service of nearly 32 years, it is testament to all those people who have supported me throughout my career.
“It is really humbling to be recognised in such a prestigious way and I continue to be very proud of being part of the policing family here in Cambridgeshire.”
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