A school leader and a paramedic are among the Merton residents to be recognised in the New Year’s Honours List.

Morden paramedic Mark Whitfield will receive a British Empire Medal for his voluntary service to People and Animals Abroad.

Mr Whitfield has completed a number of voluntary trips around the world, including driving an ambulance to Senegal in order to donate it to a hospital there and fixing and delivering a mobile veterinary clinic to help save stray dogs in Sierra Leone.

And former senior mistress at King’s College School, Heather McKissack, will receive an MBE for services to education.

In 2003, she helped to establish the Wimbledon Partnership. This ensures that King’s maintains a strong relationship with seven maintained secondary schools in South West London and now embraces regular arrangements with more than 20 primary and special schools in the area.

She also launched the Aspirations Project for Years 9-12 which gives 70 students from low income families, with no history of higher education, the chance to attend a three year programme which culminates in a Preparing for University Day.

She said: “I’m just overwhelmed, my family were absolutely delighted. I was contacted about it on November 27, which was my late father’s birthday and I know how proud he would have been.

"It really is on behalf of the institution and the school, who gave me the platform to build the partnership on.”

The secondary schools in the Wimbledon Partnership are Ricards Lodge High School, Grey Court School, King's College School, Raynes Park High School, St Mark's Church of England Academy, Ursuline High School and both Coombe Girls' and Boys' Schools.  

Ms McKissack is now a governor of the Coombe Federation.