Our birthday honours list of people who have had a positive influence on Norfolk life begins with 25 heroes, pioneers and passionate friends of Norfolk.

Eastern Daily Press: Rev Jack Burton of NorwichRev Jack Burton of Norwich (Image: copyright of Archant © 2010; 01603 772434)

Henry Blogg. The fisherman born in Cromer in 1876 became the most decorated lifeboatman in British history, saving more than 800 lives during 53 years with Cromer lifeboat and winning numerous awards for bravery. His extraordinary life is remembered in Cromer’s RNLI Henry Blogg Museum.

Eastern Daily Press: Lord Aubrey Buxton. PHOTO: IAN BURTLord Aubrey Buxton. PHOTO: IAN BURT (Image: Archant © 2009)

Eastern Daily Press: Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon. Pic: Archant libraryHoward Carter and Lord Carnarvon. Pic: Archant library

Jack Burton. Jack was a Norwich bus driver for 35 years. After getting his first job on the buses in his native Norwich he trained as a Methodist minister and became a “worker-priest,” taking on a previously redundant city church alongside his bus-driving duties. He was eventually elected to the board of the bus company, and has written books about buses and trams.

Eastern Daily Press: Edith CavellEdith Cavell (Image: Archant)

Eastern Daily Press: Princess Diana meeting local school children at the opening of Splash Leisure and Fitness Centre, Sheringham, in 1988. Picture: ArchantPrincess Diana meeting local school children at the opening of Splash Leisure and Fitness Centre, Sheringham, in 1988. Picture: Archant (Image: Archant)

Aubrey Buxton. One of the founders of Anglia Television he created Survival wildlife series which ran for almost 40 years and was shown around the world. He also helped found the World Wildlife Fund in 1961 - and solved the mystery of how the bittern makes its booming call.

Eastern Daily Press: Self portrait of Olive Edis. Picture: Nick ButcherSelf portrait of Olive Edis. Picture: Nick Butcher (Image: Archant © 2018)

Eastern Daily Press: George Edwards PHOTO: Matthew UsherGeorge Edwards PHOTO: Matthew Usher (Image: Archant © 2009)

Howard Carter. The artist, archaeologist and Egyptologist who spent most of his childhood in Swaffham discovered the tomb of Tutankhamun, packed with treasure, in 1922.

Eastern Daily Press: Norman Lamb. Picture: Jamie HoneywoodNorman Lamb. Picture: Jamie Honeywood (Image: Jamie Honeywood Archant Norwich Norfolk)

Eastern Daily Press: Michael Loveday Photo: Bill SmithMichael Loveday Photo: Bill Smith (Image: Archant © 2013)

Edith Cavell. The nurse from Swardeston, near Norwich, was executed for helping men escape from German-occupied Belgium.

Eastern Daily Press: UEA's first vice chancellor Prof. Frank Thistlethwaite at a 40th anniversary lunch. Photo: Bill SmithUEA's first vice chancellor Prof. Frank Thistlethwaite at a 40th anniversary lunch. Photo: Bill Smith

Eastern Daily Press: Roy Waller Photo: Denise BradleyRoy Waller Photo: Denise Bradley (Image: Archant © 2007)

Alan Clark. The first bishop of the new Roman Catholic diocese of East Anglia was appointed in 1976 and is remembered for his work to bring Roman Catholics and Anglicans closer together.

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Ethel Colman. Britain’s first female lord mayor was elected Lord Mayor of Norwich in 1923. She was also director of a missionary society and one of first female church deacons.

Diana, Princess of Wales. The future princess was born at Sandringham, went to school near Diss and often returned to her home county with her young sons.

Olive Edis. The pioneer of colour photography and Britain’s first female war photographer opened a studio in Sheringham in 1903, specialising in portraits of fishermen, and took pictures in France and Flanders during the First World War.

George Edwards. From a childhood so poor that he started work aged six, scaring crows, never attended school and spent a year in Fakenham workhouse, George founded a trade union for agricultural workers and became a magistrate and Labour MP, and was knighted.

Launcelot Fleming. The Bishop of Norwich from 1959 to 1971 was also an explorer, early environmentalist, glaciologist and served as a battleship chaplain during the Second World War. He was a director of the Scott Polar Research Institute and involved in the founding of the University of East Anglia.

Annie and Tom Higdon. The husband and wife teachers were sacked from their posts at the village school in Burston, near Diss, after complaining about conditions for the children and angering the local rector and farmers who ran the school. Their pupils went on strike and joined them in the strike school they set up, which ran from 1914 until 1939, becoming the longest strike in British history.

Dorothy Jewson. When she was elected MP for Norwich in 1923 she became one of the first three women to be elected to Parliament for Labour.

Norman Lamb. The former Liberal Democrat MP for north Norfolk chaired the Science and Technology Select Committee and was a health minister. His mental health and wellbeing fund to help people with mental health issues, on the autism spectrum and with learning disabilities.

Michael Loveday. As founder and chief executive of Norwich’s Heritage Economic and Regeneration Trust he developed the tourism concept of the Norwich 12, the city’s top 12 buildings. He chaired national organisation Living Streets and wrote The Norwich Knowledge about what has been done first, best, biggest or uniquely in Norwich.

Allan Glaisyer Minns. Born in the Bahamas he trained as a doctor in London and worked in Thetford, where he was elected mayor in 1904, becoming the first black mayor in Britain.

William O’Callagham. The Dereham soldier and his comrade Bert Pooley were the only survivors of the 1940 massacre in which 97 soldiers, who had surrendered to SS officers in the French hamlet of Le Paradis, near Dunkirk, were murdered. When the machine guns stopped, and despite being wounded himself, William carried Bert to a nearby farm. Eight years later the two men testified at a war crimes trial.

Samuel Peto. He originally trained as a bricklayer and his building company was responsible for projects including the Houses of Parliament, Nelson’s Column and the London sewers. He brought the first railways to Norfolk and for several years employed more people than anyone else in the world. Norwich MP from 1847 to 1854, he also financed the Great Exhibition’s Crystal Palace - before being made bankrupt.

The Queen. The Sandringham estate was bought by Edward VII when he was Prince of Wales and generations of monarchs and their families have loved it ever since. The Queen spends Christmas in Norfolk, with traditions ranging from attending the local WI meeting to checking up on her racing pigeons, and carries out regular royal engagements in the county. In 1957 she made the first televised Christmas speech from Sandringham.

Frederick Duleep Singh. The son of the last Maharaja of the Sikh empire, who was forced into exile in Britain, was a historian, lived in Old Buckenham Hall and Blo’Norton Hall, served in the British Army during the First World War and gave the Ancient House, now a museum, to Thetford.

George Skipper. Poet John Betjeman said of the Dereham-born architect: “He was to Norwich what Gaudi was to Barcelona.” His Norfolk buildings include the Royal Arcade, Marble Hall, Jarrold and the St Giles House Hotel in Norwich; the Town Hall, Hotel de Paris and Cliftonville in Cromer; Sennowe Hall near Fakenham, and Hunstanton Town Hall.

Delia Smith. The chef, cookery book author and television presenter is, with her husband Michael Wynn-Jones, the majority shareholder at Norwich City Football Club.

Frank Thistlethwaite. Founding vice chancellor of the University of East Anglia.

Elsie Tilney. 1893-1974. Born in Norwich, Elsie became a Christian missionary in her 20s. In 1939 she was working in Paris and got a Jewish baby out of Austria to safety - but was imprisoned when the Nazis invaded in 1940. In the internment camp she helped save a Jewish man from transportation to Auschwitz and risked death to preserve camp records and papers.

Roy Waller. 1940-2010. Radio Norfolk presenter and football commentator.

Our 150 names of iconic Norfolk people of the past 150 years runs through this EDP 150th anniversary week with categories including sports, arts, science and nature, good causes, business leaders and great lives.