New Year Honours: ‘Fitting way to end remarkable 2012’

THE head of the British Paralympic Association hailed the inclusion of so many Paralympians in the honours list as “a wonderful way to bring this remarkable year to a close”.

THE head of the British Paralympic Association hailed the inclusion of so many Paralympians in the honours list as “a wonderful way to bring this remarkable year to a close”.

Chief executive Tim Hollingsworth said: “It is fitting that so many of our gold medallists are today offered some of the highest tributes possible, which reflect not only their sporting talent but also the sheer hard work and dedication that they put into preparing for their home Games.

“We are extremely proud of their achievements.”

More honours

Man given job of regulating the City receives a knighthood

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The man tasked with regulating the City in the run-up to the near-collapse of the UK banking system has been knighted in the Queen’s New Year Honours.

Former Financial Services Authority (FSA) chief executive Hector Sants has been recognised for services to financial regulation after overseeing sweeping reforms following the nationalisation of Northern Rock and bailout of major banks. But the knighthood will be seen as a controversial decision, as it was Sir Hector who led the organisation accused by MPs of being “asleep at the wheel” in the run up to the collapse of Northern Rock.

While he was criticised for the FSA’s failure to spot and prevent the credit crunch and subsequent banking meltdown, he has since won praise for cleaning up the regulator and for his role in forcing banks to beef up their balance sheets. Sir Hector said the award was a “testament to the hard work of everyone at the FSA during the crisis, their willingness to learn lessons and to bring about the changes that were necessary”.

The 56-year-old had planned to leave the FSA in February 2010, but was convinced by Chancellor George Osborne, to stay on to see through the coalition’s break-up of the FSA.

It was thought he would become a deputy governor of the Bank of England and head the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA), one of two new regulatory bodies that will replace the FSA as part of a regulatory overhaul in the wake of the financial crisis.

But Sir Hector unexpectedly resigned earlier this year and has courted more controversy, joining scandal-hit Barclays, where he will become the bank’s first point of contact for regulators.

He is believed to be in line for a £3 million pay package. The FSA received a mauling from MPs in the wake of the banking crisis and collapse of Northern Rock.

Northern Rock had to be nationalised in 2008, with the Government also having to bail out Royal Bank of Scotland, Lloyds TSB and HBOS.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

In the aftermath of the crisis, Sir Hector warned the City to “be frightened” as he pledged an era of more intrusive and direct regulation.

Behind-the-scenes team get their medals too

Many of the unknown faces who had a huge public impact on the success of the London Games have been honoured.

The woman in charge of the Games Maker volunteers, Jean Tomlin, is made an OBE.

As London 2012’s human resources director in charge of workforce and accreditation, she faced the daunting task of mobilising a 200,000-strong workforce. This included the 70,000 much-valued Games Makers, who became the smiling face of London 2012.

Mrs Tomlin was also responsible for the accreditations of thousands of people, from background checks through to setting up the structures for training and uniforms.

Producer Deborah Hale is made an MBE after helping to sketch the detail of the Olympic and Paralympic torch relays.

The relays were key in stoking up public support for the Games and also created some of the most memorable images.

London 2012 organising committee deputy chairman Sir Keith Mills, who was knighted after the original bid success, is awarded the Knight Grand Cross, while chief executive Lord Deighton is made a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

London 2012’s sport director Debbie Jevans, who has been lauded for her role in delivering the Olympic and Paralympic sports events as well as the Games-wide medical and anti-doping programmes, is made a CBE. The same honour goes to Ruth Mackenzie, director of the Cultural Olympiad.

Bush reveals her ‘delight and surprise’ at award

Kate Bush: ‘Thanks to everyone for support’

Kate Bush, one of the most distinctive singers and songwriters of her generation, said it was a “great surprise” to be awarded a CBE for her services to music.

The 54-year-old, whose first hit Wuthering Heights topped the charts and instantly made her a star, was as famous for her videos and her often wild-eyed mime dancing as her singular voice.

Bush, whose other much-loved tracks include Cloudbusting, The Man With The Child In His Eyes and Babooshka, has kept out of the public eye for much of the past two decades, with only occasional releases and appearances. She said: “I feel deeply honoured to be included in this list. It’s a great surprise and I’m really delighted. Thanks to everyone who’s encouraged and supported my work over the years.”

Bush’s precocious musical talent was spotted while she was still at school. After coming to the attention of Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour, she landed a deal with EMI at the age of just 16, although she was 19 by the time she released her first album The Kick Inside in 1978. Her debut single Wuthering Heights – released at her insistence – parked a furious period of activity and she quickly recorded a follow-up album, Lionheart, which was out before the end of the year. She staged her one and only tour in 1979.

Bush’s 1985 album The Hounds Of Love is often seen as a career high. From then on, her releases were ever more sporadic and when she released eighth album Aerial in 2005, it was her first for 12 years. Much of that intervening period had been devoted to bringing up her son Bertie.

McCartney has stepped out of her famous father’s shadow

Stella McCartney: Sells her designs to 100 countries

Stella McCartney, who has been honoured with an OBE, has moved out of the shadow of her famous father and established herself as a major force in the fashion industry.

The designer, the daughter of Sir Paul McCartney and his first wife Linda, graduated from Central Saint Martins College in 1995.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Her final show as a student saw her designs modelled by famous friends including Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell to a soundtrack which included a new song written in her honour by her father.

Two years later, she was appointed creative director of French fashion house Chloe – a move widely derided at the time, but she proved a runaway success and soon left to launch her own label.

Since then, she has built up her business and now runs more than 20 stores around the world selling her designs to some 100 countries and has teamed up with brands including Adidas and H&M.

Earlier this year, she was named Designer of the Year at the British Fashion Awards – in part for her work designing the kit worn by Team GB and the nation’s Paralympians.

In November 2011, she was presented with the Red Carpet Award by the British Fashion Council.

McCartney became interested in designing clothes as a youth, making her first jacket aged 13. She worked as an intern for Christian Lacroix, and went on to work for Edward Sexton, her father’s Savile Row tailor, for a number of years.

Former Scotsman editor Linklater awarded with CBE

Journalist and former Scotsman editor Magnus Linklater has been honoured with a CBE.

Mr Linklater, who receives the honour for his services to the arts and media in Scotland, said: “It was a total surprise and I hadn’t expected it at all.

“I am absolutely delighted to have received this award.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“It is equally, I think, a huge honour to have been living in Scotland over the past 25 years at a time of such significant political and constitutional change.

“Therefore, to have been a part of journalism during that time has been a great thrill and a great pleasure.”

Mr Linklater, who was born in Orkney and raised in Easter Ross, has written for a variety of national newspapers since beginning his career in the 1960s.

He was editor of The Scotsman for six years from 1988, a job he cites as a career highlight.

He was at the newspaper’s helm during some of the biggest news stories in recent history, including the 1988 Lockerbie bombing.

“I think it is one of the greatest jobs in journalism,” he said. “As a Scot and as a journalist, it was the pinnacle of my career.

“There were some huge stories during that time, including the Lockerbie bombing in my first year as editor. That story has stayed with me ever since.”

Mr Linklater left The Scotsman in 1994 and took up a role at the Times, initially as a columnist, and in later years as the newspaper’s Scotland editor. He continues to contribute to newspapers on a freelance basis.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

His CBE also recognises his contribution to the arts. He held the post of chairman of the Scottish Arts Council from 1996 to 2001.

MBE for justice campaigner

An MBE also goes to Penelope Clough, 53, who set up the Justice For Jane Campaign with husband John after her daughter was murdered by her ex-partner in 2010 while he was on bail.

Recipients of the British Empire Medal (BEM), reintroduced in the 2012 Queen’s Birthday Honours, include Mandy Painter, who has raised tens of thousands of pounds for the Starlight Children’s Foundation – which grants wishes for seriously ill children – after her 11-year-old son died of a brain tumour.