There cannot be many boroughs in Britain where a Sir and a Dame have been created in the New Year’s Honours’ List. With the success of Olympian and Paralympians we were expecting them all to be recognized in some way and Bradley Wiggins being given a knighthood for his 2012 exploits was a given, but we are on the map with special people who have surpassed themselves over a number of years  to achieve recognition of the highest order.

Macclesfield born sailor Ben Ainslie has been knighted after winning his fourth consecutive Gold Medal at London 2012; a great achievement for Britain’s most successful Olympic sailor.

Victoria Pendleton, based in Wilmslow, received a CBE after winning a Gold and Silver Medals at 2012.

However, I make no excuse in making a bit of a fuss of Disley resident Sarah Storey: A true champion, who has been earning plaudits in more than one sport for twenty years. This lady picked up her first Gold Medal at Barcelona in 1992, at the tender age of fourteen. In fact she picked up a total of 6 medals (2 Golds, 3 Silvers and 1 Bronze). She went on to win a further 3 Gold, 5 Silver and 2 Bronze Medals for swimming. However, a series of ear infections caused her to miss one season and to keep in condition she took up cycling and by the end of that first year picked up the world record for Paracycling 3,000m Individual Pursuit.

She has gone on to win 2 Gold Medals in Beijing and then at London 2012 a further 4 Gold Medals to take her Paralympian career total to 11 Golds, 8 Silvers and 3 Bronzes. In addition she has to her credit 20 World Championship Titles (6 swimming, 14 cycling); 21 European Titles (18 swimming, 3 cycling), 7 World Cup tiles (5 Paracycling 2 able-bodied cycling); More than 140 National Titles (including 3 able-bodied National Titles on the track) and 72 World Records.

2012 has been an amazing year for Sarah, but she had to start somewhere! Join the national enthusiasm for sport and get kitted up for whatever sport takes your interest – whether it be clycling and clycling clothing or otherwise! In addition to the exploits in London she rode for the VioRed Road Team winning the National Road Race Series; in fact she only raced in four of the six events but won all four. She claimed the Cheshire Classic Road Race in April, the Capernwry Road Race in June, the inaugural Curlew Cup in July and the Essex Giro in August. Then in December she announces to the world that she is expecting her first child with husband Barney in June 2013.

Is there anything this lady can’t do – well to give us all a bit of a chance she did appear on Celebrity Mastermind in January 2012 and finished last with a total of 16 points (she took Sex in the City as her specialist subject), phew she is human after all!!