It's gongs galore for new year

Published on Saturday 29 December 2007 10:42

A LONG-SERVING school secretary, a trend-setting radiographer and the creator of Dolly the Sheep are among the Lothian names recognised in the New Year's Honours list.

Three knighthoods have been given to Capital residents, while everyone from successful business people to everyday community workers are rewarded.

MBEs, OBEs and CBEs have also been sent out to citizens whose work in their professional and private lives are deemed worthy of royal recognition.

One is Isabella Francis, who joined Ormiston Primary in East Lothian as a secretary and 47 years on still holds the post.

The 63-year-old – who prefers to be known as Wilma – said today she was thrilled to be given an MBE for services to education and the community.

She said: "I was really honoured when I received the letter, it's a fantastic feeling. It's astonishing.

"I don't know how common it is to be in a place that long.

"I think there's at least one other in Scotland who's been in place longer, but I haven't set a date for retirement and I still love the job.

"I suited me then when I was 16 and it suits me now."

Professor Ian Wilmut, the embryologist, whose work sent shock waves around the world when he worked on Dolly, receives a knighthood for his services to science.

He said: "I am naturally delighted and excited by this award and accept it on behalf of the team at the new centre for regenerative medicine at the University of Edinburgh and previously at the Roslin Institute.

"It also recognises the importance of bio-medical research to develop treatments and regenerative medication which hold great hope for the future."

He is joined on the knighthood list by two Edinburgh University professors – Principal and vice-chancellor Timothy O'Shea and fellow vice-chancellor John Savill – for services to higher education and clinical science respectively.

Margaret Diamond, 51, from Broxburn, pestered her managers for a chance to go on a training course which would take the heat off doctors around her.

And when she finally got her wish to travel to England to train to produce plain film reports for her radiologist colleagues, she decided not just to stop at that.

"I got so much from the course when I went down south," said Mrs Diamond, whose daughter Ashleigh alerted her to the award by telling her she had a letter from the Prime Minister.

"I decided when I got back to try and get training facilities up here to allow others the chance to do it and now we've got a whole team of them."

As a direct result of her work and lobbying, there are now radiographers across Scotland who can produce reports for radiologists, allowing them more time to focus on other work.

Mrs Diamond, who works at Wishaw General Hospital in Lanarkshire, added: "My daughter shouted me through to say I had a letter from the Prime Minister and I assumed it would be about tax or something.

"I was absolutely stunned when I read it. I've no idea who nominated me, but if it was one of my peers it is great because you never really know if what you are doing is being valued or not.

"I had only told my daughter about the award because she was there when I opened the letter, but I think a few of my colleagues knew something was happening because of all the phone calls they were getting."

Mrs Diamond will now add her MBE to the Scottish Radiographer of the Year award she collected in January this year. Valerie Lobban, a Comely Bank resident who sits on numerous voluntary organisations, receives an MBE for services to the community in Edinburgh.

The retired civil servant works closely with Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland, council social works committees and voluntary organisations for children of offenders at Saughton Prison.

She said her previous employment with the Scottish Executive meant she knew how to help charities secure funding and works in accordance with the system.

She said: "Of course I find my work very worthwhile. Otherwise I wouldn't do it, and I'm not sure who would have nominated me because I'm involved in so many organisations.

"I'm not sure how I ended up in so many, I suppose people just ask you and you say yes."

Ms Lobban is also heavily involved with Edinburgh charity Positive Help, which assists people with HIV and their families.

Main players in Scotland's business world have also been awarded.

Philip Riddle, VisitScotland's chief executive, will be presented with an OBE for services to the tourist industry.

The former milkman, who now heads Scotland's tourist body, is awarded an OBE in the New Year Honours list, and today said the honour was a recognition of both the progress the tourism industry had made and its importance to the country.

Prior to taking up his position, Dunfermline-born Mr Riddle spent 23 years working for the oil company Shell, including posts in London, Brunei, Namibia, Cape Town and Paris.

The 55-year-old became the chief executive of VisitScotland following the abrupt departure of Rod Lynch – who was appointed to the post in April 2001, but then had the offer withdrawn four days later.

Mr Riddle took on the job in July 2001, at a time when tourism in Scotland was struggling in the wake of the foot-and-mouth outbreak earlier that year.

He said: "This is a wonderful honour. It is a tremendous acknowledgement of the great amount of work that everyone at VisitScotland has put in and the progress that we have made in recent years.

"It is also recognition of the importance of the tourism industry to Scotland and of the industry's efforts to increase tourism revenues in what is a very competitive market."

Other Lothian MBE recipients include the council's former director of culture and leisure Herbert Coutts, from Dunbar, for his services to arts and recreation and emergency planning general manager for the Scottish Ambulance Service Michael Herriot, from Livingston, for his work in healthcare.

Edinburgh-based occupational health adviser Thelma McGuire was honoured for services to the NHS and Penicuik-based Dr Roger Hill scooped his MBE for services to the defence industry through his work for SELEX.

Lothian's roll of honour

KNIGHTHOODS

Prof Timothy O'Shea, Edinburgh, for services to higher education

Prof John Savill, Edinburgh, for services to clinical science

Prof Ian Wilmut, Peebles, for services to science

CBEs

Alex Linkston, Linlithgow, for services to local government

Matthew MacIver, Edinburgh, for services to education

OBEs

John Howison, Edinburgh, no reason listed

Prof Jean Manson, Midlothian, for services to science

Philip Riddle, Edinburgh, for services to the tourist industry

Kathleen Silvestro, Edinburgh, no reason listed

David Steel, Edinburgh, for services to healthcare

Alison Watt, Edinburgh, for services to art

Malcolm Wright, Edinburgh, for services to the NHS in Scotland

MBEs

Herbert Coutts, Dunbar, for services to the arts and recreation

Margaret Diamond, Broxburn, for services to the NHS

Isabella Francis, Ormiston, for services to education and the community

Michael Herriot, Livingston, for services to healthcare

Dr Roger Hill, Penicuik, for services to the defence industry

Valerie Lobban, Edinburgh, for services to the community

Thelma McGuire, Edinburgh, for services to the NHS in Scotland

Robert Smith, Dunbar, for services to local government.

She should be so lucky as pop princess tops star winners

POP princess Kylie Minogue and chat show king Michael Parkinson head a star-studded honours list today.

The Australian star said she was "deeply touched" to get an OBE, while recently retired Parkinson will receive his expected knighthood.

Des Lynam, the distinguished sports commentator, also receives an OBE for services to sport, while there are honours for stars such as actor Sir Ian McKellen, who becomes a Companion of Honour, Julie Walters and Leslie Phillips.

Lynam, 65, has been a sports presenter for both the BBC and ITV since 1969, and has also presented Channel 4 quiz show Countdown.

He said: "This has been a splendid surprise and I feel truly privileged."

But most attention in this year's list is likely to focus on former soap star Kylie, 39, who featured in the Christmas Dr Who adventure this week, and has sold more than 60 million records worldwide since exploding on to the pop scene in the 1980s.

In 2005 she was diagnosed with breast cancer, but overcame that and was soon back on stage delighting fans.

She said: "This last year I have felt so much love and support from everyone as I took greater steps back into the public domain, and it is with absolute gratitude and joy that I say farewell to 2007 and look forward to what the New Year will bring."

An OBE goes to George Alagiah, the 52-year-old BBC news presenter and reporter, who has covered major stories worldwide. The same award goes to larger-than-life actor Richard Griffiths, 60, who made his name in the TV series Pie in the Sky.

There is also an MBE for singer, songwriter, guitarist and flautist Ian Anderson, the frontman of the veteran rock band Jethro Tull.

Iain Smith, the Scottish film producer, who is renowned for his production of Hollywood blockbusters such as The Fifth Element, gets an OBE.