A MEMBER of a North-East helicopter rescue crew has been honoured for his 25 years service helping others in distress and saving countless lives.

Master Aircrew Ronald Webb, from RAF Boulmer in Northumberland, has been made an MBE.

He is a Royal Air Force SAR Force radar/winch operator currently serving with A Flight of No 202 Squadron, and has been recognised for his work in Britain and the Falkland Islands.

His citation says: "He has played a leading role in a number of high profile disasters including the Alexander Keilland Oil Rig and the Lockerbie bombing. Operating in the most extreme of conditions, he has undertaken rescues where the threat to life and limb, including his own, has been to the fore."

The Chief Constable of Northumbria Police, Mike Craik, who has pioneered "total policing'' in the region's biggest force, receives the Queen's Police Medal.

He said: "I am delighted to receive this award , which I see as an acknowledgement of the success of the force as well as the hard work and commitment of all police officers and staff.''

Professor James Stirling, Pro-Vice Chancellor of Durham University with special responsibility for research, and a major figure in British science, receives a CBE for his services to science.

A leading international researcher in particle physics, he is a member of Durham University's world-class centre for the study of the fundamental building blocks of matter that underpin all scientific knowledge and theories.

The chairman of the university's council, Chris Moyes, the chief executive of the Newcastle-based Go-Ahead Group, has been given the OBE for his services to passenger transport.

Mr Moyes, 56, from Durham City, has been a board member of the Go-Ahead Group - which runs bus and train services across the country - since its creation in 1986.

He was appointed commercial director in 1986, deputy chief executive in 1999 and chief executive in 2004.

He has been a university council member since 1992 and chairman since 2001.