Margate's Turner Contemporary director on Kent honours list

The director of Kent's new art gallery, the Turner Contemporary in Margate, is among those to be appointed OBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours list.

Victoria Pomery, who runs the seafront gallery which attracted half a million visitors in its first year, was honoured for services to the arts.

Kent Chief Constable Ian Learmonth has received the Queen's Police Medal which is awarded for distinguished service.

A farmer who played a leading role in the hop industry was also made an OBE.

And police officer Kim White was appointed OBE for services to policing and Kent's Gypsy community.

AMs Pomery said: "It's a huge endorsement for Turner Contemporary. We just celebrated in April our first anniversary. We've now had way over 500,000 visitors.

"Turner Contemporary is transforming Margate and is really making a huge impact, not only a regional but on a national and on an international platform too."

Mr Learmonth's work was praised by both the prime minister and the home secretary after riots across the country in August 2011.

The police chief said he was "delighted and humbled" at the honour but did not consider what he did to be special.

Hop grower Tony Redsell, of Boughton, who has farms across Kent and has been chairman of the National Hops Association for 24 out of the past 30 years, was honoured for services to the UK hops industry.

He said that hop farming had declined since the 1950s but had stabilised in the past six or seven years and was now a "niche industry" competing with growers in Germany and the US.