THE Chard founder of a pioneering charity making musical instruments for disabled people has been named in the 2017 New Year’s Honours list.

Dr Stephen Hetherington, of Chard, is the founder of the OHMI Trust and HQ Theatres Trust and an honorary fellow of Exeter University, has been awarded the prestigious title of MBE by the Queen.

The OHMI Trust (One-Handed Musical Instrument) was founded in 2011 after Dr Hetherington found a lack of instruments available to disabled musicians.

He said: “It came from a very simple thing. My daughter has cerebral palsy and wanted to join the school orchestra.

“It had never before occurred to me and apparently it hadn’t occurred to anybody else that people without the full use of both of there hands are unable to play a lot of instruments.

“I formed the trust and a competition to get people to design a instruments that would work just as well for disabled people.

“I truly believe that you should not have any restriction placed on you by the instrument you are playing. OK things like the amount of work you are willing to put in or talent, but not by the instrument you want to play.

“The impulse to do this comes from my daughter Amy and we have led reforms in a lot right up to government policy.

“Martin Dyke (OHMI partner) has been an absolute bedrock through this and it is a shame he has not been recognised as well.”

Speaking about his award, Dr Hetherington said: “This has come as a quite wonderful surprise, and an honour shared with the OHMI Trust, its staff and funders, in recognition of the problem we’re addressing.

“It’s a real encouragement for us all.

“I found out when the post came one day and there it was, a letter from the cabinet.

“It was quite a surprise, like having a birthday you didn’t know was coming.

“It was very unexpected. No one goes to work thinking of these things and it is very far away from what I aspired to do.“I don’t know exactly what I have got it for. It just says for services to the arts, particularly music and theatres.”

Dr Hetherington said there have been two projects in particular that he thinks could have contributed to the honour.

As well as founding OHMI Trust, the other work of note is his role in the development of Britain’s largest Tri-Lottery funded project, The Lowry.

The Lowry was a project which saw the cultural transformation of parts of Manchester with Dr Hetherington acting as chief executive from its early conception until the formal opening by the Queen and Prince Philip.

Dr Hetherington said: “It was the Millennium Landmark Project for the Arts and it was the largest tri-lottery award ever, around £65million.

“It was a very desolate derelict part of Manchester and the project was an attempt to bring a different character and more aspiration.”

Elsewhere in the county, Mike Robbins, principal of Bridgwater and Taunton College, was awarded an OBE, and Dr Hillary Roberta Bollan, based in Bridgwater, was awarded an MBE.