THE New Year Honours are published tomorrow (Wednesday) and we congratulate those whose names appear on the list.

However, it is a former North-East recipient of national honours who figures most prominently in our thoughts today.

Frank Atkinson was awarded the CBE in 1995, having earlier been honoured with a OBE. He was the man whose vision led to the creation of the glorious North-East attraction, Beamish Museum.

Mr Atkinson died today, aged 90, and he leaves a legacy which preserves our heritage and will enrich our region for generations to come. Indeed, it is hard to imagine the North-East without that unique, open-air attraction.

While others talk endlessly about how our heritage should not be lost, Mr Atkinson led from the front in making his dream a reality. Instead of sitting back and waiting for others to act, he trawled round the factories and village halls of the region, collecting a treasure trove of artefacts.

His youngest son, Neil, rightly described him as an “unstoppable force” – and it was a force which gave the North-East something very special.

The biggest tribute anyone could pay Frank Atkinson would be to make a New Year’s resolution to buy a ticket to visit Beamish and reflect on the glorious fruits of his labours.