Arise Sir Kenny… legend Dalglish made a knight
HE thought it was a demand from the taxman. But the letter that arrived for Scotland’s most-capped footballer Kenny Dalglish was in fact an invitation to hear the words: “Arise Sir Kenny”.
Kenny Dalglish leads the Scots honoured in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list after being knighted for his role in helping the families of the Hillsborough disaster.
He dedicated his knighthood to his family and everyone involved in his career after admitting it “doesn’t feel right” receiving the personal accolade.
The former player, manager and tireless charity campaigner joined more than 100 “exceptional” Scots from fields including science, sport, education and business who have been recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List.
University of Glasgow graduate Professor James Hough, who helped detect gravitational waves, is among those to be given knighthoods along with Glasgow-born book shop founder Tim Waterstone.
There was an OBE for Scots horse trainer Lucinda Russell, who trained the 2017 Grand National winner One for Arthur and Aberdonian oil industry tycoon Sir Ian Wood, who was given a knighthood in 1994, added to his honours by being made chancellor of the Order of the Thistle by the Queen.
Sir Craig Reedie, president of the World Anti-doping Agency, receives a Knight Grand Cross for services to sport while Glasgow banker Douglas Flint is knighted for services to the finance industry.
And a lifeboat volunteer involved in 634 rescues has been honoured with an MBE along with long-serving emergency service workers. Bill Deans, 68, started volunteering with Aberdeen’s Inshore Lifeboat team in 1976 when he was working as a police officer.
Sir Kenny, who was manager at Anfield at the time of the disaster when 96 Liverpool fans were crushed to death at an FA Cup semi-final on 15 April 1989, said he was “hugely proud to have accepted the accolade” for services to football, charity and the City of Liverpool.
The 67-year-old former Celtic star and his wife Marina have also helped raise millions of pounds for cancer treatment through the Marina Dalglish Appeal after she successfully battled breast cancer.
Joking that he thought the letter informing him of the knighthood had been from the taxman, he added of the achievement: “We only set out to do the best we possibly could, even through all the other stuff - the charity or Hillsborough, it was to help people because somebody helped us.”
Relatives of Liverpool fans who died in the Hillsborough disaster called for the former Liverpool manager to be knighted seven years ago for his “extraordinary” response to the tragic events.
Former Lord Mayor of Liverpool Steve Rotherham MP told fans at an Anfield memorial service in 2011 that the families had asked him to table an Early Day Motion to make the request.
He helped ensure the club was represented at all of the fans’ funerals and attended many of them in person.
Mr Rotherham, who is now Metro Mayor for the Liverpool City Region, said at the time: “It nearly broke him. He and Marina went to five funerals in one day.
“Whilst they were counselling people there might, in hindsight, perhaps have been someone to counsel Kenny and Marina and that didn’t happen.”
Oil industry tycoon Sir Ian said of his new honour: “I am greatly honoured by this personal recognition from Her Majesty the Queen and I share it with the many very talented, committed and enterprising people I have worked with in my life, whether in business, in public life or in my more recent philanthropic activities.
“It is also deservedly shared with my beloved family.”
Professor Hough has been recognised for his role in detecting gravitational waves.
The University of Glasgow academic was part of the international team that detected gravity waves – ripples in spacetime – a century after Albert Einstein predicted their existence.
The 2016 discovery was described as “the biggest scientific breakthrough of the century” and Professor Hough, who worked on the project for more than 40 years, has since been recognised with a gold medal
from the Royal Astronomical Society, one of the highest accolades in science.
Professor Hough said: “I am delighted and a bit overwhelmed by this honour.”
Douglas Flint has been recognised with a knighthood for services to the finance industry while book shop founder Tim Waterstone becomes a Sir for services to charity and bookselling.
Sir Tim, who was born in Glasgow but grew up in England, opened his first book shop in 1982, going on to make it the largest bookselling group in Europe.
Executive chairman of Laings and founder of the Houlden Group, Stuart Laing, said he was delighted to be awarded with an OBE.
He said: “Strengthening and creating a strong, independent retail sector and giving the UK industry a global identity has been extremely rewarding.”
Poet Kate Clanchy said she would like to think her MBE honours her work in schools. The Scottish writer, 52, who has been a teacher in state schools for nearly 30 years, is made an MBE for services to literature in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.
She said: “I was very surprised to be nominated for an MBE and also very grateful. I have worked in all sorts of literary fields over the years – poetry, memoir, fiction, reviewing – but the most consistent thread has been my work in schools.
“I like to think this award honours that, and the importance of literature and creativity in the classroom.”