The son of a post office owner who transformed the Lecht into one of the UK’s premier winter sports destinations is among those honoured by the Queen.
James McIntosh, the managing director of the Lecht Ski Centre, has been made an MBE for services to skiing and tourism in north-east Scotland.
When he established the centre with three friends back in 1977, there was only one lift, and space in a layby for just two cars.
But now it draws in thousands of visitors every year.
Mr McIntosh, who grew up in Strathdon where his father ran the post office, said the gong is “icing on the birthday cake” after celebrating the ski centre’s 40th anniversary earlier this month.
Mr McIntosh, 66, said: “It came as a complete shock, it was definitely something I didn’t expect but it’s a dream come true.
“I’ve had a good few other awards and accolades over the years, but this one tops the list.
“I’ve been called a lot of things in my life, but at least MBE is a good one.
“I opened the Lecht Ski Centre with three other colleagues back in 1977. We actually had our 40th birthday two weeks ago, so this really is the icing on the birthday cake.
“It was really wild on the Lecht when we first started out, and there was a lot more snow.
“The highlight of my career has just been watching the centre grow into what it is over 40 years.
“We started with one lift, and now all these years later we’ve got 14, a fine big café, and I never thought we would ever have some of our great big snow grooming machines at the Lecht, or even in Scotland.”
“During that time I’ve been the president of the Association of Scottish Ski Areas three times, and I’m also vice president right now of the North Atlantic Ski Area Association, which is a joint organisation of all the ski areas in Iceland and Scotland.
“We’ve had a super start to this season, there’s been plenty of snow so far and a lot of visitors, and I’m looking forward to many more seasons to come.”