Seaham: MBE for Kylie Dixon of The Northern Lass Lounge

Kylie Dixon, of Seaham, accepted the honour at St James’s Palace from Her Royal Highness the Princess Royal, Princess Anne.

The University of Sunderland graduate was named in the King’s Birthday Honours list 2025 for her services to social enterprise and female entrepreneurship through The Northern Lass Lounge, an online community she founded in 2020 to support women in business.

Founder Kylie Dixon pictured during The Northern Lass Lounge event at Hope St Xchange (Image: David James Wood)

Ms Dixon, who earned a BA (Hons) Fine Art degree from the University in 2015, said: “It was completely surreal.

“My first reaction was disbelief – I genuinely thought there had been a mistake.

“I didn’t cry straight away; I think I went very quiet.

“I then legged it round to my parents like Charlie Bucket with his golden ticket.”

Her work has directly supported around 6,500 women.

Founder Kylie Dixon pictured during The Northern Lass Lounge event Picture: DAVID WOOD (Image: David James Wood)

During her meeting with Princess Anne, the pair discussed her future plans to expand the network on a national scale.

Ms Dixon spent 18 years in banking before leaving the sector in 2019 to pursue a creative career, launching her first business, Mushroom Marvellous, after a woodland walk inspired her to create artwork based on mushrooms and English folklore.

During the pandemic, she hosted online art sessions for families and wrote her first children’s book.

Her trilogy, The Magical World of Mushroom Marvellous, became a regional success and even inspired a dish by chef Cal Byerley on BBC’s Great British Menu.

Ms Dixon launched The Northern Lass Lounge after struggling to find affordable support for women starting businesses.

What began as a Facebook group has grown into a limited company with a social enterprise arm and seven directors, offering a range of mentoring and training programmes.

She said: “2025 has been a year of deepening rather than just scaling.

“The Northern Lass Lounge has continued to grow, but more importantly, its grown roots.

“We’ve seen women move from ideas to income, from burnout to clarity, and from isolation to genuine community.”

She believes the MBE underscores the value of community-led, women-centred support.

Ms Dixon said: “I’ve always believed that community-led, heart-centred work matters, even when it doesn’t look traditional or easy to measure.

“This recognition tells me that kind of work is worthy of being seen.

“It opens doors, but more importantly, it gives me a stronger platform to advocate for women-led businesses, creativity, and community-first approaches.”

Ms Dixon is also developing a community allotment space in Seaham to support creative and wellbeing projects.

She encouraged others hoping to make a difference in their communities to start small and stay consistent.

She said: “Start where you are, with what you have, and trust that small actions add up.

“Consistency is key and being kind to yourself as well as others.”