3 days Ago By Martyn McLaughlin
The veteran broadcaster Jackie Bird and football luminaries Alan Hansen and David Moyes are among a host of well-known Scots recognised in this year’s New Year Honours list. Ms Bird, the BBC's face of news in Scotland for the past three decades, said she was “thrilled” and “absolutely honoured” to be made an MBE in recognition of her services to broadcasting and charities. The 62 year-old, a longstanding presenter of BBC Scotland's Children In Need show for years, has also served as the president of the National Trust for Scotland since 2019.
The Bellshill-born journalist said she did not think she was “the sort of person” to get such an award, but said she looked forward to receiving the honour alongside her 80 year-old parents. “I'm thrilled,” she said. “Absolutely surprised and thrilled.
My first thought was, 'I can take my mum and dad to Buckingham Palace'.” Mr Hansen and Mr Moyes, both former Scotland internationals, have been awarded an MBE and an OBE respectively for their services to football. They are among a host of Scottish sporting stars recognised in the honours list.
Stirling-born swimmer, Duncan Scott , Scotland's most decorated Olympian, receives an OBE, as does Paralympic gold medallist swimmer, Stephen Clegg, with archer Nathan MacQueen, a fellow Paralympic gold winner, becoming an MBE. Elsewhere, artist Barbara Rae said she was “lost for words” after being informed she was receiving a damehood. The veteran painter and printmaker studied at Edinburgh College of Art and went on to teach art in secondary schools then lecture at Aberdeen College of Education and Glasgow School of Art.
Her work has been shown around the world in both group and solo exhibitions, including at venues in Chicago, New York, Washington, Santa Fe, Oslo, Hong Kong, Dublin, and Belfast. The 81 year-old said she was startled when she received a telephone call from someone at the Cabinet Office to reveal the honour. “Her accent and politeness stopped me from replacing the receiver, assuming it was a scam,” she recalled.
Michael Harris, the organist and master of music at St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh, said it was “humbling” to be recognised in the honours list on the eve of his retirement. Mr Harris, who will step down today from the role he has held since 1996, has been made an MBE for services to music. He said it was a lovely surprise to be recognised and paid tribute to his colleagues.
“It's obviously very sort of humbling to receive this, and it's been an immense privilege being part of St Giles' and its living history, and to be able to lead the music team during that time, it's a tribute to them, really, as much as anything else,” he explained. Ken McCallum , the Glasgow-born head of MI5, has been knighted in the list. Sir Ken, who holds a maths degree from Glasgow University, was appointed director general of MI5 in April 2020 , having formerly been deputy director general with responsibility for all of the security service's operational and investigative work.
Also becoming an MBE is retired solicitor Gordon Hay, given the honour for services to the promotion of the Doric language, which is spoken in north-east Scotland. He spent 17 years translating the New Testament and then the Old Testament into Doric, the first time the whole text has ever been changed into any variant of the Scots language. Mr Hay said he was “absolutely delighted and greatly honoured” by the recognition.
Campaigner William Wright has been made an OBE in this year's honours for his services to people with bleeding disorders. He was chairman of Haemophilia Scotland for 12 years and was described as the “driving force” behind its representation at the Infected Blood Inquiry and the prior Penrose Inquiry in Scotland . More than 30,000 people in the UK were infected with deadly viruses after they were given contaminated blood and blood products between the 1970s and early 1990s.
About 3,000 people died as a result and survivors are living with lifelong health implications. Mr Wright said: “The main thing I'm particularly pleased about is the recognition for the issues that I've been involved in, which was the infected blood disaster which, in particular, seriously affected the community of people with bleeding disorders. “That story continues and I think it's really important to emphasise that this story is not over.
The recommendations of the public inquiry into infected blood are yet to be really met and that includes for example compensation to thousands of individuals, and that is taking a lot of time.” Other notable recipients of honours across Scotland include Lorna Greig a veteran figure at Girlguiding Scotland who has volunteered as a guide leader and in associated regional and national roles in guiding for more than five decades. The 78 year-old, who helped establish the first guide unit in her hometown of Roslin, becomes an MBE.
James Burns Smith, 87, receives a British Empire Medal for services to fire and rescue in Scotland. He spent six decades in the fire service in Glasgow and, following the deaths of seven of his colleagues in a warehouse fire, went on to pioneer fire safety, working with businesses, schools and the public. The same honour has been awarded to Audrey Mutongi-Darko from Alexandria in West Dunbartonshire, for services to tackling loneliness and isolation in older people.
She established the No.1 Befriending Agency, which connects trained volunteers with isolated older people. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: “Each and every day, ordinary people go out and do extraordinary things for their communities.
They represent the very best of the UK and that core value of service which I put at the centre of everything this government does. “The New Year Honours List celebrates more of these unsung heroes, and I thank them for their incredible contribution.”.
