Andy Murray knighted in New Year Honours

Andy Murray has been given a knighthood in the New Year Honours list.

The tennis star rounds off a landmark year in which he won a second Wimbledon title, retained Olympic gold and finished the year as world number one.

Also honoured are Scottish rower Katherine Grainger, who becomes a dame, and wheelchair tennis player Gordon Reid, who receives an MBE.

Murray, who is a Unicef UK ambassador, receives his knighthood for services to tennis and charity.

He also became a father in February and was named BBC Sports Personality of the Year for an unprecedented third time.

The honour comes after Murray claimed he was too young for a knighthood following speculation he would be given the title earlier in the year.

'Sounds strange'

The 29-year-old was previously honoured with an OBE after winning the US Open in 2012.

Speaking in Abu Dhabi where he was playing at a tournament, Sir Andy said he could not get used to his new moniker.

He said: "It sounds strange. Obviously it's a big honour.

"It's great recognition for my results of the last few years and it's obviously a very nice way to finish 2016 or start 2017, but I'm more than happy just being known as Andy, that's fine by me."

Dr Grainger is Britain's most decorated female Olympic athlete after winning Olympic silver at Rio 2016 and gold at London 2012, adding to her silver medals from Sydney in 2000, Athens in 2004 and Beijing in 2008.

She also has six world championships titles in her collection.

The 41-year-old, who was born in Glasgow and has a PhD in the sentencing of homicide, receives a DBE for services to sport and charity.

Ms Grainger said she did not struggle to keep the news secret and told her family when they were all together at Christmas.

She said: "It has been easy to keep in some ways because it is an enormous honour and one I did not really expect, so in a way by not telling anyone, it didn't feel real yet.

"The lovely thing is I have a wonderful family and very, very good friends around me.

"They keep my feet very firmly on the ground and I wouldn't want it any other way. I would not want anything else, it is such a lovely honour to get."

Gordon Reid, who receives an MBE for services to tennis, ended 2016 as world number one after winning grand slam singles titles at the Australian Open and Wimbledon, and doubles titles at the French Open and Wimbledon.

'Loved every minute'

At the Paralympics in Rio, he took singles gold and a silver medal in the doubles.

He described his MBE as a "great honour" and the "icing on the cake" of a great year.

He added: "The year started amazingly for me in Australia with my first grand slam title there and to go on to Wimbledon and win the singles and doubles, and then to finish it off in Rio with the gold and silver medals, there's a lot of things there that I didn't expect would happen this year and I think receiving my MBE is on that list as well, but it's been amazing and I've loved every minute."

Gordon Reid receives an MBE after ending the year as world number one

Jo Butterfield, who won gold in the F51 club throw final at the Paralympics in Rio, receives an MBE for services to field athletics.

Scots from a range of fields are also honoured, with the list including academics, business people, a lollipop lady and a glass blower.

Joshua Littlejohn, co-founder of Social Bite, receives an MBE for services to social enterprise and entrepreneurship in Scotland.

Social Bite cafes allow customers to "pay forward" coffee or a meal for the homeless and about a quarter of its staff were formerly homeless.

It has drawn support from movie star Leonardo DiCaprio, who stopped for lunch at Social Bite venture Home in Edinburgh's west end last month, while Hollywood star George Clooney visited Social Bite's Rose Street branch in the city a year earlier.

Mr Littlejohn said he was "honoured" to receive the MBE and dedicated it to people "marginalised" from society.

Joshua Littlejohn said he was dedicating his MBE to those marginalised from society

He said: "I would like to dedicate it to the hundreds of homeless people Social Bite works with in Scotland who are marginalised from society and have no stake in the economic system."

John Park Campbell, chairman of Glenrath Farms Ltd in the Borders, receives a knighthood for services to farming and charitable service to entrepreneurship.

Former Lord Advocate the Rt Hon Frank Mulholland QC receives a CBE for services to law in Scotland while a CBE also goes to Professor Susan Deacon.

Prof Deacon, assistant principal of the University of Edinburgh and the first female chair of the Institute of Directors in Scotland, receives the honour for services to business, education and public service.

'Unstinting dedication'

Michael Cavanagh, who was chairman of Commonwealth Games Scotland (CGS) and represented CGS on the Glasgow 2014 board, receives an OBE for services to sport and the Commonwealth Games movement.

Meanwhile, Surjit Singh Chowdhary, vice-president of the Central Gurdwara Singh Sabha in Glasgow, receives an MBE for services to the Sikh community and charity.

The list also includes a British Empire Medal (BEM) for Rhona Ritchie, who has been a lollipop lady for more than 40 years.

Mrs Ritchie, lollipop lady at Pumpherston and Uphall Station Primary School in West Lothian, receives the honour for services to education.

Janet Gillespie has been awarded a British Empire Medal after spending 60 years volunteering for Poppy Scotland

One of the oldest recipients, 94-year-old Janet Gillespie, receives a BEM for her charitable service, having spent more than 60 years volunteering for Poppy Scotland, in Crossmichael and Parton in Dumfries and Galloway.

She began selling poppies in 1952 and only retired as area organiser last year.

Mrs Gillespie was awarded the Poppy Scotland President's Award in November 2015.

Poppy Scotland's head of fundraising Gordon Michie said: "This is richly deserved recognition for one of our longest-serving and most remarkable volunteers.

"Janet is an example to us all having dedicated much of her adult life to ensure those left disadvantaged by their service receive the life-changing support they urgently need."

Stirling-based glassmaker Tom Young is awarded an MBE for services to the industry

Stirling-based glassmaker Tom Young is also awarded an MBE to mark his 60 years of service to the industry.

David Mundell, Secretary of State for Scotland, said: "Scotland's honours recipients are superb ambassadors for Scotland. They truly deserve their recognition today and I congratulate each and every one of them.

"The length and breadth of Scotland, an army of volunteers show unstinting dedication, commitment and compassion, week in week out. It is right that we mark that dedication and selflessness."

The honours system

Commonly awarded ranks:

• Companion of Honour - Limited to 65 people. Recipients wear the initials CH after their name

• Knight or Dame

• CBE - Commander of the Order of the British Empire

• OBE - Officer of the Order of the British Empire

• MBE - Member of the Order of the British Empire

• BEM - British Empire Medal

Guide to the honours