Honour is a real thrill for swimmer Colleen
Professor and Kinross pensioner are also recognised
I am thrilled but it is taking time to sink in. It’s a real honour and a bit of a surprise
Residents in Perth and Kinross were among those recognised in the Queen’s New Year Honours List.
Among the recipients is Colleen Isla Blair, who receives a MBE for services to swimming.
Colleen, from Aberfeldy, swam the channel in 1998 at the age of 20 - the youngest person to do it that year.
She was also the first to swim the North Minch, the first Scot to achieve the Triple Crown, first to swim Pentland Firth, the first woman to swim the length of Loch Tay and one of the few to have swam the Northern Channel.
The 42-year-old has coached and mentored over 1000 swimmers since the age of 14.
Colleen also coached the Liverpool University Senior team when she was 20 and the Inverclyde Swimming Club when she was studying at 22.
She has taught and mentored 200 swimming teachers and coaches, as well as taking 300 Cubs and Brownies through their swimming proficiency badges and taught them the rudiments of water safety.
She was a lifeguard trainer in Perthshire and trained and assessed over 200 lifeguards, while being an ambassador for swimming across the country, voluntarily giving talks at multiple events.
Over the years, Colleen has raised over £25,000 for good causes such as the Scottish Air Ambulance, Asthma Research and the RNLI along with funds for children’s swimming clubs.
She told the PA: “I am thrilled but it is taking time to sink in. It’s a real honour and a bit of a surprise.
“When I got the email I thought it was a wind up.
“Swimming is what I do, that’s why I’m struggling to get my head around it.
“I look normal and I don’t really have the shape of an athlete so hopefully I can inspire people to even do shorter swims.
“From my younger years I have set myself challenges and just kept going.
“This recognition is as much for my team as it is for me. It’s been a nice way to end this type of year.”
Also being awarded a MBE is Professor Geoffrey Allan Codd FRSE, from Longforgan.
Professor Codd is emeritus professor of microbiology at the University of Dundee and has investigated blue-green algae blooms for over 30 years.
He is recognised for services to water quality.
Fiona Symon is also honoured with a MBE, for services to maritime heritage.
The Kinross pensioner has worked tirelessly for recognition of the sinking of the Lancastria - the worst maritime disaster in British history.
Her father was one of the thousands lost on the vessel when it was attacked by German planes in 1940. Fiona has been pivotal in gaining recognition for the disaster as chair of the Lancastria Association.
There was a British Empire Medal (BEM) for Richard Stibbles for voluntary services to the NHS in England and Scotland during the COVID-19 crisis.
The 40-year-old is a British Red Cross volunteer and left his Perth home at the start of the pandemic and volunteered for three ambulance deployments in London.
Kinross resident George Andrew Middlemiss, chairman of the Perth and Kinross Branch of the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association, also received a BEM.