Sophie Lancaster's mum collects OBE

The mother of murdered goth Sophie Lancaster has been presented with an Order Of The British Empire honour by Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace.

Sylvia Lancaster set up a charitable foundation in her daughter’s memory after Sophie was beaten to death in 2007. The 20-year-old sustained fatal injuries while trying to protect boyfriend Robert Maltby, who survived the assault. The pair had been attacked because they were wearing goth-style clothing.

The Sophie Lancaster Foundation aims to tackle hate crimes by educating people about subcultures and spreading a message of tolerance.

Sylvia, who was told she’d receive the honour earlier this year, tells ITV: “Prince Charles talked about Sophie and about gang culture. I’m sure she would be proud. It’s not just about the work that we do – it’s a validation of alternative subcultures as well.

“I’ve got a velvet bag with a skull on it that represents subcultures that I wanted to bring with me. When I was younger I was always quite different, but I never had the balls to dress like that – but I like the touches.”

Ryan Herbert and Brendan Harris were jailed for life in 2008 for Lancaster’s murder and for causing grievous bodily harm to Maltby. Sophie has had a stage named after her at the Bloodstock festival since 2009 and the event continues to support the foundation. Find out more on the official site.

Scott Munro
Louder e-commerce editor

Scott has spent more than 30 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in the summer of 2014 before moving to the e-commerce team in 2020. Scott maintains Louder’s buyer’s guides, scouts out the best deals for music fans and reviews headphones, speakers, books and more. He's written more than 11,000 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog and has previous written for publications including IGN, the Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald, covering everything from daily news and weekly features, to video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, Marillion and Rush.