New Year Honours: Simon Weston 'so proud' of CBE

Falklands war veteran Simon Weston said he was "so proud" to be awarded the CBE in the New Year Honours list.

Mr Weston, who is already an OBE, said the award "came as a complete surprise".

The former Welsh Guard was horrifically injured on board the Sir Galahad ship in 1982 and is involved in service veterans' charities in particular.

He paid tribute to those who had supported him, in particular his mother and his wife.

"To be given the CBE for charity work means a great deal to me because it's something that I have been very passionate about over the past 33 years," said Mr Weston, who was brought up in Nelson, Caerphilly county.

"I still have to pinch myself. I'm just a boy from a coal mining village in the valleys."

Other CBEs go to Sarah Payne, director of the National Offender Management Service in Wales and Prof Peter Matthews, former chairman of Natural Resources Wales.

Karin Morris gets an OBE for charity work with the elderly and Tenovus

Prof Meena Upadhyaya founded the Welsh Asian Women Achievement Awards in 2011

Other Cardiff honours include an OBE for Tenovus volunteer Karin Morris, 78, who has worked at the cancer charity's shop in Whitchurch for the last 28 years.

"It started with helping friends, doing little things for elderly people who can't do those things for themselves," she said.

"I'm grateful."

Also honoured with an OBE is Cardiff University medical genetics expert Prof Meena Upadhyaya - partly in recognition of her services to the Asian community. She is the founder of the Welsh Asian Women Achievement Awards.

MBEs include optometrist David Hong, 61, of Rogerstone, Newport, who has provided sight tests and help for thousands of people in Malawi, Moldovia and Romania.

Joint founders of Cardiff-based opera company Music Theatre Wales Michael McCarthy and Michael Rafferty both get MBEs.

Another goes to Robert Brain, 58, from Nelson, Caerphilly, who has raised over £200,000 for six charities over the last 20 years. He has run 16 marathons in the UK and two in New York.

Jane Collier, a nurse from Griffithstown, Torfaen, has been a first aider with St John Ambulance for 50 years, after joining at the age of eight.

She has amassed 8,000 hours of voluntary service to the community.

Other MBEs include occupational therapist Bryony Jordan, from Aneurin Bevan health board, for her work with children with disabilities and Cedric Moon, of the Wales Council For Deaf People.

There is also a MBE for David Street, who founded One Voice Wales, which represents community and town councils.

BEMs include 96-year-old Lena Charles from Blaengarw, Bridgend, who still organises tea dances and conducts Sunday services in the local chapel.

She was a member of Women's Royal Voluntary Service for more than 40 years and involved in entertaining children from Chernobyl on annual holidays.

"It means quite a lot to me - I never thought for one minute I'd be recognised," she said.

June Burke has been involved in Tenovus since she was a child

David Hando, president and former chairman of Newport County FC is honoured for his 40-year association with the club.

Another went to June Burke, a volunteer, whose father was a founder member of Tenovus cancer charity in Cardiff.

"I started out when I was little going with mum and dad on street collections with a tin - and I did better than they did because people felt sorry for me!"

"I'm astounded if I'm honest. It's great to think someone has recognised, not so much me but the charity."

New Years Honours in full