A Bromley Cross-born woman has been awarded an MBE in the King's Birthday Honours List for services to journalism and promoting diversity in the industry.

Susie Schofield's husband John was killed while covering the civil war in Yugoslavia for the BBC at the age of 29.

After this she worked to keep his legacy alive and set up The John Schofield Trust in 1996.

And now it is the leading social mobility journalism charity in the UK and works hard to diversify the trade through acclaimed mentoring programmes.

Hundreds of journalists in the UK and the Republic of Ireland have been mentored by the trust or have volunteers at monitors.

Mrs Schofield, who attended Turton School, praised the volunteers as he picked up the awards in the honours list and said there was work to be done.

She said: “I am incredibly honoured to receive this award. Setting up the John Schofield Trust to recognise young journalists in the aftermath of John’s tragic death was the most positive act I could do.

"John was such a welcoming force in any news setting and I’d like to dedicate this award to his memory.

"This award is built on the shoulders of hundreds of volunteers who have worked tirelessly to mentor young journalists from diverse backgrounds who are under-represented in newsrooms to help them navigate their way into the news industry.

"It has been the privilege of my life to be part of that.

"There is still much to be done to make newsrooms welcoming for all.”

David Stenhouse, the chief executive of the John Schofield Trust, said she had given "hope, encouragement and support" to hundreds of journalists.

He said: “Susie Schofield is not a journalist, but she has changed journalism for the better.

"After John Schofield’s death Susie created an organisation which has brought hope, encouragement and support to hundreds of journalists at the beginnings of their careers, and made a massive contribution to increasing diversity in the news industry.

"In September this year the trust will welcome applications from early career journalists working in broadcast, print and multimedia, in all four nations of the United Kingdom, and Ireland.

"As we look forward to our biggest year yet, we are delighted by this recognition for our founder, whose hard work, generosity of spirit and strength of character has transformed British journalism.”