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New Year's Honours

Lots of people around the region have been recognised in the New Year's Honours list.

Here's a selection of some of them.

Live updates

More messages of congratulations for New Year's Honours recipients

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New Year's Honours - Reaction

Sporting heroes join showbusiness figures, scientists and community champions from the South in the Queen's New Year's Honours List.

We speak to:

Maidenhead Paralympic Equestrian Sophie Christiansen who receives an OBE

Etienne Stott, canoe slalom gold medallist, who receives an MBE

Jack Denness, charity runner from Rochester, who receives an MBE

Prof David Payne from the University of Southampton who is knighted.

Ray Roberts from Liphook in Hampshire. The World War Two codebreaker receives an MBE

Lawrence Lyle from Canterbury, awarded an MBE for services to local history.

Annette Penfold from Gosport, the first female command officer in the Naval Service. She gets an MBE.

Richard Brighton, a Reading businessman who built up a news delivery service. He is honoured with an MBE.

Stars of the Olympics shine in the New Year's Honours list

The most successful Olympic sailor of all time, Ben Ainslie is to be knighted Credit: Press Association

The New Year's Honours list is announced today, and among the winners are some of the South's brightest stars of the Olympics.

Hampshire's Ben Ainslie is already recognised as the most successful Olympic sailor of all time with four gold medals under his sails.

But now he's to be knighted.

The 35 year old says it's an "incredible honour" to receive a knighthood for services to sailing and confesses that he had never even thought of becoming Sir Ben Ainslie when he started sailing as a teenager 20 years ago.

Dani King, from Hamble, in Hampshire gets an MBE Credit: Press Association

Also honoured today is Olympic cyclist Dani King, from Hamble in Hampshire.

She gets an MBE.

Katherine Grainger gets gold and a CBE Credit: Press Association

Rower Katherine Grainger, from Berkshire, receives a CBE honour in the year she finally made it gold with Anna Watkins in the double sculls following three successive silvers.

It's a CBE for Margate's Tracey Emin Credit: Press Association

And..we know she's not an Olympian, but artist Tracey Emin did carry the Olympic torch in Margate!

She receives a CBE for Services to the Arts.

She describes herself as being 'thrilled' and says she's been looking forward to seeing the look on her Mum's face.

More to follow on the heroes of our communities later....

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