ATHLETICS legend Steve Cram leads the list of North-East men and women featured in the New Year Honours.

Cram – nicknamed “The Jarrow Arrow” – told The Northern Echo that the award of a CBE was “a massive honour”.

The former world champion, 1984 Olympic silver medallist and world record holder at 1,500 metres, was named in the Queen’s New Year Honours list for his services to sport.

The Northern Echo: PEAK OF FITNESS: Steve Cram in 1985, the year he broke three world records in 19 days

While he enjoyed a glittering career on the track, he has also worked as chair of the English Institute of Sport (EIS) and co-founded the charity Comrades of Children Overseas (Coco), an international children’s charity based in Newcastle.

Speaking tonight Cram, who was made an MBE in 1986, said: “It’s a massive honour. I found out a few weeks ago so the hardest part has been keeping it quiet from everyone. It was quite a surprise given that I stopped running a while ago now, but I have stayed involved in athletics in a number of different ways, with advisory roles, coaching and obviously the media work with the BBC, and presumably that is part of why I have got this now.”

He added: “Nobody gets into sport for this kind of thing to happen, but it is fantastic when it comes along.”

Helen McArdle, founder and chairman of North-East-based Helen McArdle Care, also received the CBE for services to the care home business and the community.

The Northern Echo:

Elsewhere, Maura Regan, above, principal of Darlington’s Carmel College, and chief executive of Carmel Education Trust, receives an OBE for services to education, while Colin Booth, from Newton Aycliffe, who is principal of Barnsley College, receives the same honour for services to further education.

Among the national honours were Joan Collins and Esther Rantzen, who both become dames, and comedian and actor James Corden, who receives an OBE.