AN Ilkley Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinator has been recognised in the New Year's Honours List.

Heather Chapman, 73, is well known for her work with Neighbourhood Watch and she has been awarded her MBE for services to the community in West Yorkshire.

She revealed that being awarded honours runs in the family as her father, long-standing member of Bradford University Council, Albert Wallis, was awarded an MBE for services to industry.

She said: "My family are very proud and he would have been very pleased."

Mrs Chapman has been a long-standing member of Neighbourhood Watch, working on various projects to promote crime prevention.

She worked for nine years at the police station in Keighley with the Neighbourhood Watch Officer.

In 1995, Mrs Chapman, of St John's Road, Ben Rhydding, formed the West Yorkshire Association of Neighbourhood Watch and was also the West Yorkshire representative on the national body for Neighbourhood Watch.

When she learned of her award she said: "I couldn't believe it. It's absolutely wonderful," she said.

Mrs Chapman added: "It was right out of the blue - it has just been great."

Earlier Mrs Chapman had stressed the importance of Neighbourhood Watch.

She said the community's direct involvement with the police was essential in crime prevention.

"In the past, people would naturally look out for one another, but society has changed and people don't necessarily live or work where they grew up, " she said.

"Society has lost touch with this instinct to help one another and this has had to be re-created through organisations like Neighbourhood Watch.

"We needed to re-build the instinctive community spirit and this was done through the watches, and now they are going hand in hand with the Police Community Support Officers."