BUSINESSMAN Alasdair MacConachie said he was 'madly excited' to receive an OBE in the New Year's Honours List.

The 57-year-old has been honoured for his services to the community in Darlington, where he is chairman of St Teresa's Hospice, the College of Technology and business group Darlington Partnership.

"It is a great honour and privilege," said Mr MacConachie, managing director of car dealership Sherwoods.

"I got a letter telling me about a month ago and I was very surprised. I think I have received it because I am a very committed community fellow. I get a lot out of the community through my business and I have always got a lot from being kind and nice and giving up most of my holiday time to working in the community."

Mr MacConachie, who is the Vice Lord Lieutenant for County Durham, is married and has two sons.

Harold Evans, Fleet Street legend and former editor of The Advertiser's sister newspaper, The Northern Echo, received a knighthood.

The man once voted the greatest newspaper editor of all time picked up the honorary knighthood in the Diplomatic List, for services to journalism. Mr Evans forged his reputation as editor of The Northern Echo from 1961 to 1966, where his campaigns resulted in a national screening programme for cervical cancer and a posthumous pardon for Timothy Evans, wrongly hanged for the murder of his daughter in 1950.

As editor of the Sunday Times in the Seventies, he founded the Insight team of investigative journalists who uncovered the Kim Philby spy scandal.

His most famous campaign was on behalf of the victims of Thalidomide, the drug which left hundreds of children with severe birth defects after it was given to their mothers during pregnancy.

Mr Evans fought a legal battle with the drug companies, eventually leading to victory in the European Court of Human Rights.

Jim Brown, former chairman of Newsquest Media Group, The Advertiser and The Northern Echo's parent company, received a CBE.

Mr Brown, of Surrey, was honoured for services to the regional newspaper industry.

He started his career in journalism but later moved into management, becoming chairman of Newsquest in February 1996 and serving as chief executive from 1990 to 2001. He retired in July 2003.

Dr John Walton Marshall of Middleton St George, who is the regional commissioner for the National Health Service Appointments Commission, received a CBE for his services to the NHS.