LOSSIEMOUTH OLYMPIC STAR Heather Stanning tops the list of people from the region who have been named in the Queen’s Birthday Honours Lists.
Heather twice won Olympic Gold with her rowing partner Helen Glover – the pair never being beaten in competition from the day in 2011 they teamed up.
A former Gordonstoun pupil, Heather readily used her Olympian status to promote greater sporting activity by young people in Moray, returning to her home region time and again to promote sports to youngsters. Heather has been made an OBE – upgrading the MBE she won after her first Gold success at the London Olympics in 2012.
The same award has been accorded to Buckie High School special needs teacher of 27 years, Sharon Aitken. Sharon was instrumental in setting up ASN services at Millbank Primary School in the town before being invited to become the principal teacher of ASN seven years ago.
Sharon praised her team of five insisting that she could never do her work without them, adding: “This honour is as much for them and the young people and their families I have worked with over the years.”
The Lord Lieutenant of Banffshire, Claire Russell, has been made a Commander of the Victorian Order.
Mrs Russell is well known throughout the region keeping a busy schedule in the role she has held since 2002. She is Lady Laird of Ballindalloch Castle and in 2008 she led a campaign to ensure road signs were reinstated to mark historic boundaries.
Perhaps the most popular honour throughout Scotland has arrived in the form of a knighthood for Glasgow-born comedian Billy Connolly.
The comedian said: He added: “It hasn’t really dawned on me yet – and it won’t really dawn on me until Glasgow people start calling me ‘Sir Billy’ – or whatever they come up with. I feel like I should be called Lancelot or something – Sir Lancelot, that would be nice. Sir Billy doesn’t quite have the same ring.”