Fashion designer Katharine Hamnett and local heroes make Hackney New Year’s …

Fashion designer Katharine Hamnett with Arcola director Mehmet Ergen earlier this year

Eleven Hackney residents have been named in the New Year’s Honours list. Bestowed by the Queen and published today, the New Year Honours recognise outstanding achievement and service. Nearly 1,000 people have been listed in total, three-quarters of them are described as local heroes.

Famous for her over slogan t-shirts, including ‘Choose Life’ and her environmentally friendly and ethical approach, fashion designer Katharine Hamnett will be made a CBE for services to the fashion industry.

Professor Nicholas Tyler, head of department and Chadwick Professor of civil engineering at University College London is also made a CBE for services to technology.

Former Labour councillor Nargis Khan, who is now deputy chairwoman of the Local Government Association’s Community Wellbeing Board, is to be made an OBE and Jane Jackson, artistic director of Artes Mundi is awarded an OBE for services to art.

MBEs are awarded to Gordon Bell for services to the community; Andrew Coggins, executive director of charity Dance United for services to contemporary dance and to disadvantaged people; Laraine Callow, director of Deafworks, for services to deaf and hearing impaired people; Stephanie Currie for services to the City of London Corporation and to charity and Barry Laden for services to the fashion industry.

Rupert Tyson, the chair of Hackney Homes‘ board, will be awarded an MBE  for services to housing.

John Larter has been awarded an MBE in today’s New Year Honours

John Larter will become an MBE for his work with the Hackney Schools Athletic Association, a voluntary organisation which this year celebrates its 120th anniversary. He has worked for the association since 1968 and has managed the Hackney district under 11s football team since 1971. Over the years he has coached thousands of aspiring young players – including a young Ugo Ehiogu, who went on to play football for England.

Mr Larter is also a Hackney teacher, who previously retired from teaching in 2000. He returned in 2002 to work for the Hackney School Sport Partnership. In 2008 he won the Lifetime Achievement Award at The Learning Trust Educators’ Awards, for his service to education in the borough.

John has lived his whole life in Hackney. He went to Northwold Primary School, and then Hackney Downs Grammar School (on the site of the current Mossbourne Academy).

John said: “I am immensely proud to have received this honour, especially as 2011 marks the 120th anniversary of the Hackney Schools’ Athletic Association.

“I must pay a huge tribute to the many wonderful staff and parents who over all this time have organised, led and supported our voluntary activities. As a result, many thousands of Hackney children have had their first taste of sporting endeavour and have gone on to make sport an important part of their lives.

“It has been a great privilege to have taken part in many HSAA events as a schoolboy and, in later life, to have been able to assist the Association in delivering its programmes. I have enjoyed it enormously.”


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