:00:07. > :00:11.Staffordshire's multi-medal-winning Paralympic dressage rider
:00:12. > :00:14.Lee Pearson says it will take him some time to get his head around
:00:15. > :00:17.the "enormity" of being given a knighthood in the New Year
:00:18. > :00:21.He's one of many of the region's sportsmen
:00:22. > :00:24.and women to be recognised - along with campaigners
:00:25. > :00:30.He already has just about every medal going -
:00:31. > :00:35.an MBE, OBE and a CBE - not to mention 11 Paralympic golds.
:00:36. > :00:38.But today's knighthood is the icing on the cake.
:00:39. > :00:41.Sounds very strange, going to take quite a while to get
:00:42. > :00:51.I'm unbelievably shocked, and honoured, excuse the pun...
:00:52. > :00:54.Fresh from his third place honour at the Sports Personality
:00:55. > :00:56.of the Year, there's a CBE for the Warwickshire
:00:57. > :00:58.showjumper Nick Skelton, who became Britain's oldest Olympic
:00:59. > :01:00.gold medallist for over a century in Rio.
:01:01. > :01:07.And, completing an equestrian hat-trick, Gloucestershire's
:01:08. > :01:08.dressage gold medallist Charlotte Dujardin
:01:09. > :01:18.In fact, our athletes dominate the honours -
:01:19. > :01:20.Herefordshire's multi-medal winning Paralympic swimmer Sascha Kindred
:01:21. > :01:23.receives a CBE, while there are MBEs for the former Blues footballer
:01:24. > :01:25.Karen Carney, Halesowen's Helen Scott, who piloted Sophie Thornhill
:01:26. > :01:27.to tandem gold in Rio, and two Staffordshire
:01:28. > :01:29.gold-winning Olympians, swimmer Adam Peaty and canoeist Joe
:01:30. > :01:39.Away from sport, 14 years after her daughter Letisha
:01:40. > :01:44.was killed in a New Year's drive-by shooting in Birmingham,
:01:45. > :01:47.Marcia Shakespeare has been awarded an MBE for her work as a volunteer
:01:48. > :01:55.I couldn't help her when she lost her life, but I swore that
:01:56. > :02:01.I would do something positive to make her know that, you know,
:02:02. > :02:06.although she's lost her life, that positive will come out of it.
:02:07. > :02:15.Gurcharan Mall from Sutton Coldfield's been awarded
:02:16. > :02:16.the British Empire Medal, for promoting Punjabi
:02:17. > :02:21.He's released 50 albums, and performed at the Eurovision Song
:02:22. > :02:24.Contest, but teaches his art to children across the West Midlands
:02:25. > :02:31.But getting this medal, from the Royal Family,
:02:32. > :02:38.from Her Majesty The Queen, to recognise...
:02:39. > :02:44.You've caught me going through me cupboards.
:02:45. > :02:46...Janice Connolly, better known for her character Mrs Barbara Nice,
:02:47. > :02:56.has also been recognised for her services to community arts.
:02:57. > :02:58.A 20-year-old man is recovering in hospital after being stabbed
:02:59. > :03:04.The victim, who's not been named, was attacked in the William Tyler
:03:05. > :03:06.pub in Yardley at around half past eleven.
:03:07. > :03:11.A 49-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of wounding.
:03:12. > :03:13.On to today's football: Peter Crouch scored his first
:03:14. > :03:16.Premier League goal for 19 months, but Stoke City couldn't
:03:17. > :03:22.derail Chelsea's march towards the title, losing 4-2.
:03:23. > :03:25.But victory for West Brom - Hal Robson-Kanu got their winner
:03:26. > :03:30.In the Championship, Birmingham City drew 2-2 at Barnsley,
:03:31. > :03:36.but Wolves were beaten 2-1 at home by Queens Park Rangers.
:03:37. > :03:38.And in League One it finished goalless between Walsall and Oxford,
:03:39. > :03:43.while Coventry City drew 1-1 at Peterborough.
:03:44. > :03:45.No rugby action today, but last night Wasps guaranteed
:03:46. > :03:48.they ended 2016 at the top of the Premiership table with
:03:49. > :03:54.Wasps made the worst possible start by conceding two tries
:03:55. > :03:57.in the opening three minutes, but inspired by Elliot Daly,
:03:58. > :04:00.hit back to run in four tries, this one completed by Christian Wade
:04:01. > :04:13.So what's the weather going to be like for the New Year?
:04:14. > :04:18.Well, if you're out celebrating tonight, potentially
:04:19. > :04:21.take your brolly with you, and certainly wrap up warm -
:04:22. > :04:24.we've got a cold front sinking south over the UK,
:04:25. > :04:29.So if we have a look at the detail tonight,
:04:30. > :04:32.we'll start to see just a few of those showers creeping in,
:04:33. > :04:35.and then in the early hours we start to see that rain drifting down
:04:36. > :04:39.Lows tonight of around 3 degrees Celsius.
:04:40. > :04:43.Now, tomorrow we'll start with all of this wet weather
:04:44. > :04:46.in the way; just a few wintry elements possible, particularly over
:04:47. > :04:49.higher ground, but it will start to move out of the way over
:04:50. > :04:53.Noticeably cooler, though, with highs of 7 Celsius,
:04:54. > :04:55.but a fairly bright start after that to the New Year.
:04:56. > :04:58.That's it for this year; our next news bulletin will be at ten
:04:59. > :05:08.From all of us here at Midlands Today, a very Happy New Year.
:05:09. > :05:17.wonderful New Year. You can keep up with all the best. Happy New Year.
:05:18. > :05:24.Good evening. As we head through the final few hours of 2016 the weather
:05:25. > :05:31.is on the change. We've got called her swooping in and there is a
:05:32. > :05:32.weather front bringing a