A retired sports editor has been awarded the MBE for services to his patch.

John Watterson spent half a century with Media Isle of Man, publisher of the Isle of Man Examiner and the Manx Independent.

During his career, John covered everything from the annual TT races through to school football finals and world-class performances by cyclist Sir Mark Cavendish, motorcyclist David Knight and equestrian Yasmin Ingham.

He received the honour in the 2025 King’s Birthday Honours List.

John, pictured, told the BBC he was “a bit stunned” and “very honoured” to receive the recognition, which was “not what I expected at all”.

Andy Dalrymple, deputy editor and head of sport at Media Isle of Man, added: “I know I might be biased, but Watty deserves not just this special accolade, but also the countless messages of congratulations I’ve seen flooding social media over the weekend. Being sports editor was never just a job for Watty.

“He has lived and breathed Manx sport throughout his time in the role and beyond and I’ve lost count of the times I’ve seen him beaming with pride at a Manx sportsperson’s achievements as if they were his own.

“It’s nice that, in some way, the effort, dedication and many, many hours he’s put in over the years have been acknowledged in some way by this award.”