Olympic and local heroes dominate new year’s honours
By politics.co.uk staff
Local heroes make up the bulk of today’s new year’s honours list, but members of Britain’s most successful Olympics team in a century are stealing the headlines.
Triple gold medallist leads the way with a knighthood. The cyclist is joined in the honours by double Olympic champion Rebecca Adlington, who is made an OBE, and Ben Ainslie, Britain’s most successful sailor, who becomes a CBE.
In total there are one knighthood, four CBEs, six OBEs and 23 MBEs from Team GB, while Britain’s Paralympics team adds two CBEs, seven OBEs and 12 MBEs.
Also being honoured from the world of sport is Lewis Hamilton, who is made an MBE after winning the formula one drivers title in only his second season.
Elsewhere in the honour’s list best-selling author Terry Pratchett is knighted for his work raising awareness of Alzheimer’s, while Michael Sheen, star of The Queen and Frost/Nixon, is made an OBE.
The government said only a “tiny minority” of the 966 people on the new year honours list were from the world of sport or entertainment, with the majority local heroes in their own communities.
Among them is senior Nurse Carol Hoy – the mother of the soon-to-be Sir Chris – who is honoured for her services to healthcare and Timothy Coulson, a July 7th 2005 London bombings survivor who jumped over live tracks into a damaged tube train to deliver first aid.
In recognition of her efforts to improve child protection, Sara Payne, whose daughter Sarah was murdered in 2000, is made an MBE.
The Cabinet Office drew attention to 62-year-old Rosie Swale Pope, who set off on a round-the-world run lasting five years to raise awareness for prostate cancer. She arrived back home to Tenby in August 2008 and has now been awarded an OBE.
