King's Birthday honours Figures from across community named

DOZENS of Gloucestershire people have also been named in the in the King's Birthday Honours.

- Phil NORRIS

These include including Margaret Blyth, Chief Constable of Gloucestershire Police; Tim Gwilliam, a long-serving Forest of Dean councillor, musician Steve Winwood, formerly of Traffic and the Spencer Davis Group, who lives near Cheltenham and former Gloucestershire bowler David Lawrence, who was diagnosed with motor neurone disease last year.

Among the big names was former England football captain David Beckham wo has said he “never could have imagined I would receive such a truly humbling honour” after being knighted

Sir David, who has been in the running for a knighthood for more than a decade and has a home in the Cotswolds, said: “Growing up in east London with parents and grandparents who were so patriotic and proud to be British, I never could have imagined I would receive such a truly humbling honour.

“To have played for and captained my country was the greatest privilege of my career, and literally a boyhood dream come true.”

Former Gloucestershire bowler David Lawrence, who took 625 wickets for the county, has also been made an MBE.

The Gloucester-born 61-year-old, affectionately nicknamed 'Syd, was diagnosed with motor neurone disease last year.

Lawrence said: “It is an incredibly proud moment to have been awarded an MBE in the King's Birthday Honours.

“It is not something I ever thought would sit after my name, but I am delighted that it will do so for however long I am here and will be a part of my legacy when I am gone.