by business editor Trevor Sturgess

New Year Honours have celebrated business and tourism in Kent.

Amanda Cottrell, chairman of VisitKent, the organisation that promotes the county as a great place for short and longer breaks, receives the OBE.

Mrs Cottrell, who also works with the Asian community and is involved in a lot of charity work, is a former High Sheriff of Kent.

Although born in Windsor, she has become a doughty fighter for Kent where she has lived for more than 40 years.

She lives in the same elegant 14th century house in Challock she and her late husband Michael - she was widowed some 14 years ago - fell in love with after a visit to Kent. "Challock is a wonderful village and I would never leave it," she says.

The Kent Ambassador was delighted. "This is a thick wedge of marzipan on the cake with a deep layer of icing on the top," she said.

Peter Cullum, co-founder and chairman of the Maidstone-based Towergate Partnership, was honoured with a CBE for services to business and charity. Mr Cullum, a multi-millionaire who lives in Sevenoaks and has featured in The Sunday Times Rich List, set up the insurance broker that has grown rapidly by acquisition and niche products.

John Quin, (corr) retired chief executive of Royal British Legion Industries, Aylesford, was appointed OBE. RBLI gives work to disabled people, many ex-servicemen and women, through its sign and pallet manufacturing businesses. and other enterprises. He lives in Kingsdown.

Colin Carmichael, chief executive of Canterbury City Council also receives an OBE. He is an advocate for business in the authority's area and plays a key role in Canterbury4Business, the group that works to improve the city's credentials as a great place for enterprise.

Paul Barrett, C4B chairman and director of the Canterbury-based car dealership, said the honour was richly deserved. "He is one of the finest chief executives we could have. He is very business-minded and C4B was one of his ideas. It was very much Colin's desire to have a much stronger relationship with the business community. He is very interested in ensuring the economic well-being of the community."

The honour was for services to local government but it could equally include his services to business.

A CBE goes to Leslie Cramp, deputy chief executive of the Business Department's Insolvency Service. He lives in Maidstone. There is an OBE for Andrew Duffell. from Yalding, chief dealer at the Treasury's UK Debt Management Office, HM Treasury.

Richard Lambert, director-general of the CBI, the employers group with regional offices in Sevenoaks, is knighted. He is a former editor of the Financial Times and the Bank of England's base rate-setting Monetary Policy Committee. He gave his name to the influential Lambert Report on business-university co-operation. He has been at the CBI since 2006 and steps down in January.