ONE of the region's most successful businessmen and a North-East pensioner who has dedicated his life to community work and are named in the Queen's Birthday Honours List today.

Entrepreneur Duncan Bannatyne and Bill Cook, who has championed improvements to a Darlington estate, share the limelight with celebrities and sports stars.

Darlington-based Mr Bannatyne, who runs the Bannatyne fitness chain, receives the OBE for services to business and charity. Mr Cook, chairman of Firthmoor Community Partnership, is awarded the MBE.

On the day Euro 2004 kicks off, two of football's most celebrated stalwarts are honoured.

Former England star Trevor Brooking, now a senior FA official, receives a knighthood while Wales manager Mark Hughes gets an OBE.

Brooking, 55, described his knighthood as "a wonderful honour and a huge privilege".

Elsewhere in sport there is an MBE for the former turbaned Wimbledon linesman Raghbir Mhajan, who was often the victim of John McEnroe's tantrums.

McEnroe later admitted: "You were fantastic at your job. You would never budge."

Other sporting award-winners include Bill Frindall, who has spent 36 years as scorer for the BBC Test Match Special (MBE), and snooker star Mark Williams (MBE).

There is an OBE for Colin Parry, who became a powerful voice for the victims of terror after his 12-year-old son Tim died when two IRA bombs ripped through Warrington in 1993.

In showbusiness, actress Patricia Routledge - alias Hyacinth Bucket - is made a CBE. A CBE also goes to actor John Hurt.

There are OBEs for Countdown's Richard Whiteley and former newsreader Angela Rippon.

Two members of The Shadows - drummer Brian Bennett and rhythm guitarist Bruce Welch - also get OBEs but colleague Hank Marvin turned down the honour "for personal and private reasons".

A CBE goes to TV scriptwriter Phil Redmond, responsible for Brookside, Hollyoaks and Grange Hill.

Veteran big-band vocalist Rosemary Squires gets an MBE and there is a knighthood for bass legend Willard White.

An MBE goes to weatherman Michael Fish and novelist Jilly Cooper gets an OBE.

Pam Ayres celebrated her MBE with a poem:

"At last they've recognised my charms, I've ordered up the Coat of Arms, Bought myself an ermine cape, And told the kids to bow and scrape!"