An accordionist and a swimmer are among the Macclesfield residents who have been named in the Queen’s New Year’s Honour’s List.
John Jones, 69, from Macclesfield, has raised more than £220,000 busking for charity.
The grandfather of five, who has been performing for the past 20 years, was awarded an MBE for charitable service.
He said: "It was a big surprise. People have been saying for years I should get an MBE but I never really thought I would. It’s a huge honour.
"I’m pleased for everyone who has supported me over the years, it’s been a privilege to do it and it’s something that I enjoy." John began performing for Macclesfield Hospital’s digital scanner appeal in 1991, but went on to raise more than £57,000 for the East Cheshire Hospice, and £23,000 for the Alzheimer’s Society.
Val Mellor, from Gawsworth has been awarded an MBE in recognition of her services to swimming in the north west.
Grandma-of-four Val, who is president of Satellites Swimming Club of Macclesfield, said: "I’m absolutely thrilled, I never thought I would get an MBE. It’s a great honour."
As a teenager Val represented Great Britain against America and narrowly missed out on being selected to swim in the Olympics in Rome in 1960.
She has coached countless swimmers in Macclesfield, including her son Steven, who competed in the 1992 Olympics and won a bronze at the Commonwealth Games in 1994, and Mark Stevens, who competed in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.
She was also part of the British swimming team at the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, and the first female president of Cheshire County Swimming Association.
She said: "I really enjoy swimming and there are a lot of rewards from coaching.
"It starts at helping children to swim which to ensure they are not in any danger when they go near water, to watching swimmers achieve something and helping them be the best they can be."
Other Macclesfield residents include Josephine Rogers, who was awarded an MBE for services to the community in Macclesfield, and Nicholas Milne Payne, who gets an OBE for services to the arts and heritage in the north west.
Professor Rachel Cooper, from Poynton, who is a director at the Lancaster Institute of Contemporary Arts, was awarded an OBE for services to education.
