New Year's Honours: The people in Norfolk being recognised by the Queen

The founder of a charity and an architect have been honoured

Nikki Scott has been honoured by the Queen
Author: Beth PriddingPublished 30th Dec 2020

The people receiving honours from the Queen for the new year have been revealed.

One of those is Nikki Scott, the founder of King’s Lynn-based Scotty’s Little Soldiers, who will be receiving a British Empire Medal for services to charity.

She set the charity up in 2010 to support bereaved forces children after her husband and father of her own children, Corporal Lee Scott, was killed in action in Afghanistan in 2009.

The charity has grown over the years, helping more than 450 children of Army, Navy and RAF servicemen and women.

On Boxing Day, broadcaster Piers Morgan appeared on Who Wants to be a Millionaire? for the charity, and brought home ÂŁ1,000, but donated ÂŁ15,000 of his own money to bring the total to ÂŁ16,000.

On being presented with the honour, Nikki said:

"For me, it's very much that I'm accepting this on behalf of our team and all the supporters, so I'm very proud.

"I'd like to think that Lee would be be over the moon that the charity set up in his name is being recognised, so it's very special."

Meanwhile, David Thompson, 68, from Norwich has been awarded an MBE for services to architecture and to the community in Norfolk.

In 2005, Mr Thompson helped to design and develop a new visitor centre at the Norfolk Wildlife Trust’s Cley Marshes Nature Reserve, and helped to get funding and planning permits for free.

Also serving as a church warden in the past, he used his architecture knowledge to help with building projects and was formerly the chairman of the St Stephen’s Church Trust Estates.