Albert Kennedy Trust founder Catherine Johnson honoured with MBE

Illustrated rainbow pride flag on a white background.

The founder of LGBT homelessness charity the Albert Kennedy Trust has been honoured with an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.

Catherine Johnson, 77, said she thought it was a “big honour” for the charity.

The charity, based in London and Manchester was set up by Johnson in 1989, after her 13-year-old son came out as gay.

Ms Johnson said: “It was obvious something needed to be done to help these young people.”

She added: “I expected that, after a year or two, it wouldn’t be necessary to find accommodation for young LGBT who were homeless, and I thought it would be totally redundant and disappear – instead of which it has grown and grown.”

Eddie Redmayne, who plays trans woman Lili Elbe, was also awarded an OBE, and fellow actor Benedict Cumberbatch was given an MBE.