A BUSINESS owner and a forestry adviser in Powys have been given recognition as part of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee Honours list.

As part of the celebrations to mark 70 years of the Queen's reign, a number of civic honours have been awarded to citizens across the United Kingdom and the commonwealth.

Among those receiving an MBE is Hugo Spowers, managing director of Riversimple, a manufacturer of hydrogen powered electric vehicles based in Llandrindod Wells.

An Oxford University trained engineer and entrepreneur, Mr Spowers began his career in motorsport, designing, building and restoring racing cars.

He left the world of motorsport for environmental reasons and set up Oscar automotive in 2001, which became Riversimple in 2007.

As chief engineer of Riversimple, Mr Spowers co-ordinated the development of the Morgan LIFECar, a fuel cell powered electric vehicle.

The goal of the LIFECar was to develop a sports car capable of delivering high performance whilst also being environmentally friendly and was launched at the Geneva Motor Show in 2008.

Riversimple unveiled its latest model, the Rasa, as a prototype in 2016, an open source vehicle that runs on hydrogen powered fuel cells.

Commenting on the award, Mr Spowers said: “I am truly delighted by this award, recognising as it does many years of hard work by our small but dedicated team, and this is an acknowledgement of their talent and perseverance.

“Our cars are now being trialled and the drivers are unanimous in their enthusiasm for the driving experience, so we are looking forward to getting into production and making them widely available in the UK, and above all Wales.”

Also on the honours list is Christopher Jones from Glasbury, a senior specialist adviser on plant health and forestry for Natural Resources Wales.

Mr Jones is receiving a British Empire Medal, or BEM, for services to forestry.

These honours are intended to present peerages and awards to people who have contributed to the arts and sciences, worked with charitable organisations and performed public service outside of the civil service.

Frank Collins – former chairman of The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital (RJAH) over the border in Oswestry – has been named an OBE.

Among other Welsh recipients are singer Bonnie Tyler, who is made an MBE, rugby player-turned pundit Brynmor Williams, who is also an MBE, and Gareth Bale, who receives the same honour.