CBE for Denis Law as Scots recognised in Honours List

Law, the former Scottish international, has received a CBE. Pictured in 2000 alongside George Best (left) and Sir Bobby Charlton. Picture: PA

Denis Law, the former Scotland forward, has received a CBE for his achievements on and off the field.

The 75-year-old, the only Scottish player to have won the coveted Ballon d’Or award which deemed him the best player in Europe in 1964, was recognised for his services to football and charity.

The former Manchester United striker is Scotland’s joint record scorer with 30 goals in 55 internationals.

Barbara Windsor with Shirley Bassey in 2000 when she received her MBE at the Palace as Bassey became a Dame. Picture: PA

Law is best known for his 11 years playing for Manchester United, scoring 237 goals in 404 games. He remains a firm favourite at Old Trafford, and there is a statue of him at the Stretford End of the stadium, despite two spells with Manchester City either side of his stint with the Red Devils.

The retired striker has also been an active and high profile supporter of various charities close to his heart.

Law, who now lives in Cheshire, is a veteran fundraiser for Cancer Research UK and successfully recovered from prostate cancer himself in 2003. Since then has been vocal about the virtues of an early diagnosis.

He is also a patron for the Meningitis Now charity,.has long promoted Meningitis Now’s message across the country after his son contracted the disease.

Law is one of about 130 Scots from all walks of life being recognised for their contribution in the 2016 list.

Paul Grice, the Scottish Parliament’s clerk and chief executive, is being knighted. He was recently involved in updating MSPs and staff over moves to remove a group of pro-independence campaigners who had pitched their tents on the land outside the Holyrood building, establishing a so-called ‘Indy Camp’.

“I am very pleased to receive this honour,” Mr Grice said. “More than anything, it reflects the achievements of the Scottish Parliamentary Service.”

Professor Steven Chapman, the former principal and vice-chancellor of Edinburgh’s Heriot-Watt University, picks up a CBE for services to higher education.

Also collecting a CBE is Catherine Dyer, chief executive of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, for her services to law and order.

Other CBE recipients include Mark McInnes, director of the Scottish Conservatives party, Marion Taylor, the chief dental officer for Scotland, and Cait MacPhee, professor of biological physics at the University of Edinburgh.

EasyJet boss Carolyn McCall heads the list of female business leaders recognised in the New Year’s Honours.

Ms McCall, chief executive of the no-frills airline, has been made a Dame for her work in the aviation sector - a title she adds to the OBE she was awarded in 2008 for services to women in business.

Ms McCall is one of only six female chief executives of FTSE 100-listed companies, having taken on the top post at easyJet in July 2010.

She said being made a Dame was a “real honour”.She added: “I am delighted to receive it. It is a recognition of easyJet putting customers first and making travel for them as easy and affordable as possible.”

The University of Dundee had cause for celebration after three of its staff were rewarded for their work.

Professors Annalu Waller and Jill Belch have been given OBEs while staff member Vivienne McGuire has been awarded an MBE.

Professor Waller, chair of human communication technologies at the university, has been recognised for her services to people with complex communication needs.

Prof Belch has been awarded an OBE for her services to medicine, having led more than 30 international clinical trials and won over £32m in peer-reviewed grant funding over 27 years, while Mrs McGuire, bequest secretary for the university, has been awarded an MBE for her services to bequeathal in anatomy.

The university’s principal, Sir Pete Downes, said: “These awards recognise women who in different ways epitomise the university’s mission to transform lives.”

The list also provides a snapshot of the industry and enterprise taking place across Scotland.

James Banks, of Markinch, Fife, is awarded an MBE for services to bagpiping and voluntary service, while hotelier David Levin, from Glasgow, received an MBE for services to hospitality and youth training.

Linda Gorn, from Keith, Banffshire, also scoops an MBE for services to the local economy. She is chair of the Keith Kilt and Textile Centre. Joining them with an MBE is David Stewart, of Netherlee in Glasgow, the master blender for William Grant and Sons Distillers.

The charitable work of a number of individuals is also recognised in the 2016 list. Elgin’s Benjamin Goss, chairman of Give Them a Sporting Chance and founder of the Chaffinch Trust, is given an OBE for services to people with disabilities and disadvantaged people at home and abroad.

Reverend Professor Kenneth Ross, chair of the Scotland Malawi Partnership, is also given an OBE.

Blanche Nicolson, of Symington in Ayrshire, gets an MBE for her work with the Hansel Group of charities for people with learning difficulties and their families.