A former Keighley News reporter, a humanitarian aid worker from South Craven and a school governor are among those recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list.

Ian Hargreaves, who began his journalistic career as a trainee reporter at the Keighley News in 1973-74, has been awarded a CBE.

After leaving the Keighley News, he joined sister paper the Telegraph & Argus before going on to hold senior editorial and management posts at the Financial Times, the BBC, the Independent and the New Statesman. The Cambridge graduate is now Professor of Digital Economy at Cardiff University and last year produced the Hargreaves Review on how to improve intellectual property rights for the Government. He has been honoured for services to the creative economy and higher education.

Farnhill woman Maggie Tookey has been awarded the MBE for services to humanitarian aid. She has taken a leading role in the work of international relief agency Edinburgh Direct Aid. Its volunteers work with UN agencies and non-governmental organisations to provide relief after major disasters, as well as carrying out their own programmes.

“Our speciality is small, sustainable post-recovery work such as water supplies, micro hydro schemes, restoration of irrigation channels and footbridges – whatever needs replacing in order for a sustainable lifestyle to be restored to the population,” said Maggie, 61.

Maggie, a former teacher who has lived in Farnhill for about 30 years, was in Greece when she learned she had been honoured. “I hadn’t been at home to receive the letter so had to be contacted by e-mail and phone,” she said.

“When I read the e-mail with the citation I thought it was just spam! Shocked doesn’t really sum it up!”

An MBE has also been awarded to Brent Fitzpatrick, chairman of governors at Phoenix and Merlin Top schools in Keighley, for services to education. He has worked as a school governor since 1972, supporting 13 schools in the district as a chairman of governors. He also sits on various committees and focus groups related to education.

Head teacher of Phoenix School, Gary Bowden, said the honour was richly deserved. “He has done sterling work for years and years,” he said.

Famous faces to be honoured include actress Jenny Agutter, who has received an OBE for her charity work. She starred in the 1970 film The Railway Children, filmed on the Worth Valley line.