THE 2015 New Year Honours list contains a number of awards for people working with rural communities.

Margaret Clark (pictured), chairman of affordable rural housing specialist Hastoe, becomes a Commander of the British Empire (CBE).

She received the honour for services to rural communities.

Miss Clark is formerly a director and deputy chief executive of the Commission for Rural Communities and the Countryside Agency,

In addition to her role at the Hastoe Group, she is also chairman of the Plunkett Foundation and previously chaired the Somerset, Devon and Dorset Community Land Trust Project.

More recently, she has been part of the Rural Housing Policy Review body, chaired by Lord Richard Best, which is due to report its recommendations in January 2015.

Other rural-related New Year honours include:

Knight Bachelor

- Peter Ashley Kendall
Former NFU president (2006-2014)
For services to the Agricultural Industry
in England and Wales.
(Baldock, Hertfordshire)

CBE

- Sonia Clare Phippard
Director of Water and Flood Risk
Management, Department for
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
For services to the Environment and
Flood Risk Management.

OBE:
- Henry Richard Geers Cotterell
Lately President, Country Landowners'
Association. For services to the Rural
Community and to charity.

- Dr John Damien Fay
Director, College of Agriculture, Food
and Rural Enterprise, Northern Ireland
Executive. For services to Agri-Food
Education

- Dr David Alasdair Hamley
Lately Director of Horticulture and
Learning, Royal Botanic Garden
Edinburgh. For services to Horticulture
and Education

- David Reynolds
Farmer and Director, Camgrain. For
services to Agriculture and the
community in the East Midlands

MBE:

- Michael Bowden
President, Camborne Agricultural Show
and Trade Stand Manager, Royal
Cornwall Agricultural Show. For services
to Agriculture, Tourism and the
community in Cornwall.

- John Stewart Broomhall
Committee Member, Nantwich
Agricultural Show. For services to
Agriculture, the Rural Economy and the
community in Nantwich, Cheshire.

- Janice Davinson
Lately Organiser, Cumbria Federation of
Young Farmers Clubs. For services to
Farming and Rural Communities in
Cumbria.

- Catherine Mary, Mrs Meredith
Herefordshire Rural Hub Co-ordinator.
For services to Rural Communities.

- James Frame Warnock
Farmer, Sandilands Farm, Lanark. For
services to Education and Agriculture in
Scotland.

British Empire Medal:

- Ms Evelyn Mills
Administrative Officer, Department for
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
and Waterways Volunteer, Canal and
River Trust. For services to Inland
Waterways.

- David John Monaghan
Company Secretary and Director,
Fermanagh Community Transport. For
services to Rural Transport in Northern
Ireland.

- Anthony Richard Perry
Flood and Coastal Risk Manager,
Environment Agency. For services to
the Environment and Flood Risk
Management and to the community

- Christopher James Willder
Grounds Person, Brooksby Melton
College. For services to Horticulture and
Land-Based Education.

A full list of honours can be downloaded by clicking here.