Social enterprise founder receives MBE honour

A University of Sunderland graduate has received an MBE after being named in the King’s Birthday Honours list 2025 for her contribution to female entrepreneurship and community-led business support. 

Kylie Dixon, from Seaham, was presented with the honour by Princess Anne at St James’s Palace.

Kylie graduated from the University of Sunderland in 2015 with a BA (Hons) Fine Art degree and has since developed a portfolio career spanning children’s publishing, illustration, mentoring and social enterprise. 

She is the founder of The Northern Lass Lounge, an online community established in 2020 to support women starting and growing businesses.

The platform has grown rapidly and now supports around 6500 women directly and more than 20,000 indirectly through mentoring, training programmes and peer-to-peer support. 

The Northern Lass Lounge has since become a limited company with a social enterprise arm and a board of seven directors, with ambitions to expand its impact nationally.

Speaking about the moment she learned she would receive an MBE, Kylie 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.”

Kylie added: “2025 has been a year of deepening rather than just scaling. 

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

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

“Some real standout moments have been watching members smash some incredible milestones and my favourite is always when they manage to create a business which allows them to leave a job they feel trapped in.”

Before launching her creative ventures, Kylie spent 18 years working in banking before leaving the sector in 2019 to pursue self-employment. 

Her first business, Mushroom Marvellous, grew from her artwork and later evolved into a children’s book series, The Magical World of Mushroom Marvellous, which found regional success and even inspired a dish on BBC’s Great British Menu by Michelin-star chef Cal Byerley.

Alongside her online work, Kylie continues to develop new community-focused projects, including a creative and wellbeing allotment space in Seaham. 

She added: “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.

“Professionally, it gives The Northern Lass Lounge credibility in spaces that don’t always take grassroots women’s work seriously.

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

“This MBE doesn’t belong to me alone. 

“It belongs to every woman who’s ever walked into the Lounge feeling unsure and left feeling more capable.

“I hope it shows our community that their voices matter, their businesses matter, and that change doesn’t have to come from the top down.”

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