Shipwreck hunter appointed OBE in New Year Honours

David Mearns has been appointed an OBE for his services to the recovery of historic shipwrecks

A shipwreck hunter with plans to recover an anchor from the boat that brought the first Windrush generation to the UK is among the recipients in the New Year Honours list.

David Mearns, a marine scientist in Midhurst, West Sussex, has been appointed an Officer of the British Empire (OBE) for his services to the location and recovery of historic shipwrecks.

Meanwhile, former England manager Gareth Southgate and Paralympic gold medallist Jodie Grinham – both from Crawley – also received honours.

Others from East and West Sussex recognised in the list include author Dame Jacqueline Wilson and Doctor Who star Tom Baker.

Mr Mearns has located 29 major wreckages, including the plane carrying footballer Emiliano Sala after it disappeared over the English Channel in 2019.

The 66-year-old said he hoped the recognition for his services would boost his mission to recover the anchor from HMT Empire Windrush in the next year or so.

The HMT Empire Windrush sank off the coast of Algeria in 1954

The ship, which arrived at Tilbury Docks in Essex in 1948 carrying primarily Caribbean migrants, sank off the coast of Algeria in 1954.

The Windrush Anchor Foundation has been set up to recover the 1.5-tonne anchor and bring it back to the UK to go on permanent display.

"I will volunteer my time gladly to make that project happen – it's five years in the making, and hopefully this OBE will help raise the profile of that," he said.

"If that was my 30th [discovery] and I found no other shipwrecks after that, I'd have had a very full and successful career, but that means an awful lot to me and to a lot of people."

Sir Gareth Southgate has become the fourth former England manager to be given a knighthood

Sir Gareth has become the fourth former England manager to be given a knighthood.

The 54-year-old, who attended Pound Hill Junior School and Hazelwick School in Crawley, has been honoured for his services to football.

Sir Gareth, who was appointed an OBE in 2019, left the job after 102 matches as the only manager of the England men's team to lead the side to two major tournament finals.

Meanwhile, fellow Crawley-born sportsperson Jodie Grinham has been appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for her services to archery.

At seven months pregnant, Grinham won two medals at the 2024 Paralympics in Paris.

Competing in archery, she won a gold in the mixed team compound final and a bronze in the women's individual compound.

Dame Wilson, based near Polegate, has been made a Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire for her services to literature, and Trevor Beattie, former chief executive of the South Downs National Park Authority, has been appointed an MBE for services to the natural environment.

Former Doctor Who star Tom Baker becomes an MBE for his services to television.

The 90-year-old, who has lived in Rye, played the fourth incarnation of the Time Lord for seven seasons between 1974 and 1981.

The founder of Women in Sport, Dr Carol Anita White, from Chichester, has also been appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for her services to women and sport.

Meanwhile, the founders of Dom's Food Mission, a charity that aims to combat food waste and help vulnerable people in the local community, have been appointed MBEs.

Alexandria and Dominic Warren, from St Leonards, have both been recognised for their services to the eradication of food waste and poverty.

In 2022, the charity delivered more than 200,000 meals to those in need, preventing about 35,000 tonnes of food from going to landfill.