Published: Thursday, 31st December, 2009 7:05am

Country trio in New Year Honours

THREE county residents are to be recognised in this year's New Year Honours List, the Courier can reveal.

Catriona Matthew, 40, from North Berwick, will collect an MBE for her services to golf after becoming the first Scot to win the Women's British Open golf championship.

The mum-of-two has established herself as one of the world's foremost women's golfers and is also the first female Scot to win a major golf trophy.

Deirdre Kinloch Anderson, from Longniddry, who is director of the successful highland dress and kilt manufacturers Kinloch Anderson, will pick up an OBE.

Mrs Anderson will become the second member of her family to be receive the accolade after her husband Douglas was presented with an OBE in the 1980s.

Mrs Anderson said: "It's quite special really. It came a bit out of the blue but it's meant to be a surprise.

"I heard back in November, we were just leaving to go to the Far East and the letter came through in the post. I was telling my husband, 'Open it! Open it!' We had to rush off and get our plane."

"The award is associated with the Scottish registration of tartans, which was a sort of mission of mine which took about seven years to get through.

"Tartan is one of Scotland's most iconic things and the registration of tartans was in private hands.

"All our other great national icons are in the public domain.

"If it is privately owned it is vulnerable and anything could happen to it. It needed to be in the public domain.

"I think all of that was the catalyst for the award. We had to pass a bill through parliament to set it up - we had a survey on the importance of tartan to the economy of Scotland and that came out very favourably.

"It's been quite a hill to climb but it is up and running now. I've been involved in other things outside the business as well and I'm a great believer in doing other things other than just sitting at a desk.

"My husband Douglas received an OBE around 25 years ago and to get two in one family is quite something."

The third county resident to be honoured this year is Musselburgh's Dr David Kerridge, who is head of science at the British Geological Survey.

Dr Kerridge is head of natural hazards and earth systems, which includes teams in earthquake seismology, geomagnetism and volcanology. His science background is in geomagnetic field observation and modelling.

He is also a past President of the International Association of Geomagnetism and Aeronomy and Chair of the INTERMAGNET Executive Council.

Sir Garth Morrison CBE, Lord Lieutenant of East Lothian, said he was "delighted" that three members of the county's community will be honoured this year.

He said: "It's a wonderful accolade for each of the three people involved in this year's awards.

"It is particularly relevant that Catriona Matthew be awarded an MBE for her services to golf as this has been an amazing year of achievement for her.

"The timing of this award for Catriona is absolutely perfect.

"The other two awards, to Dr Kerridge and Mrs Kinloch Anderson, are also very well merited as they have both excelled in their individual fields and have a history of outstanding service."

See next week's Courier for a full update of all of the county's New Year Honours recipients.