Published: Wednesday, 31st December, 2008 9:23am

Arise Sir John! It's a knighthood for Royals chairman

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READING Football Club owner John Madejski is made a knight in the New Year honours list.

But the award to the former Alfred Sutton schoolboy and founder of Auto Trader magazine is not for either his footballing or business activities, it is made for his services to charity.

The multi-millionaire entrepreneur, who already has an OBE, does considerable work behind the scenes for charity and is a major benefactor of institutions from Reading Museum and the Royal Academy, to Reading University, where he is Chancellor.

Sir John said: "I'm very excited to receive this honour. I've obviously known for some time. It's been very difficult keeping it absolutely quiet."

There are MBEs for Pat Bird, a committee member of Hexham Community Association in Whitley and Norma Sinclair, from Tilehurst's Dee Road Residents' Association, for their voluntary service, and to Allan Currall, chairman of governors at Kendrick School, and Dr Peter Durrant, County Archivist at the Berkshire Record Office in Reading.

The MBE also went to Tilehurst-based Olympic gold medal oarsman Zac Purchase, and Clive Barber, a manager at Reading Young Offenders' Institution in Forbury Road.

Robert Jeffreys from Hungerford is made an MBE for voluntary service to the community and Chieveley GP Dr James Cave gets the OBE for services to healthcare in Berkshire, while Iain Cox, Chief Officer of the Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service, wins the Queen's Fire Medal.

Others honoured across the county are Ascot horsewoman Sophie Christiansen, for services to disabled sport, and Major Stephen Farley from Windsor who was quartermaster for Team GB at this summer's Olympics, who are both made MBEs.

Bracknell's Phyllis Rose gets an MBE for her work with MIND East Berkshire.

There is a CBE for Douglas Caster, chief executive of Ultra Electronics Holdings plc from Wokingham for services to the defence industry, and an OBE for Dr Robert Jackson from Bracknell, former head of the Radioactive Substances Division at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Joan Hughes, entries secretary, Royal Windsor Horse Show, and Roger Judd, formerly assistant organist at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, are made members of the Victorian Order (MVO), and the Royal Victorian Medal goes to Kenneth Jones. Head Groundsman, Crown Estate, Windsor.

For full details of the honours list, tributes and reaction see the New Year's Day edition of the Chronicle.

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