Brighton broadcaster Simon Fanshawe honoured for university work

The writer and broadcaster Simon Fanshawe has been made an OBE in the New Year’s Honours List.

Mr Fanshawe, 56, from Kemp Town, was recognised for “services to higher education”.

He is the chairman of the council – or governing body – of Sussex University, having studied law at the university’s Falmer campus in the 1970s.

Mr Fanshawe has been an independent member of the university’s council since 2001 and chairman in August 2007.

The university’s vice-chancellor Michael Farthing said: “This is a marvellous way to start the new year, both for Simon and for the university.

“For more than a decade – and especially over the last five years since he became chair – Simon has acted as an ambassador and influencer for the university, both within and outside it.

“Simon is a non-executive director of the Brighton Dome and Festival and served on the board of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

“He was also a founder and chair for 12 years of the Brighton and Hove Economic Partnership, the city’s main economic strategy forum.

“The university has benefited from the knowledge and experience that he has gained in these and other roles.

“But, perhaps most importantly, Simon has acted as a critical friend for the university. Working with other council members, he has transformed the governance of the institution.

“This award of an OBE in the New Year’s Honours list is a fitting recognition of his contribution to higher education.”

Another Brighton resident was honoured for helping women involved in prostitution. Diane Robertson Martin, who was the director of a charity called Trust in Lambeth, South London, was made a CBE for services to vulnerable women.