A leading member of the black community has been recognised in the Queen's New Year Honours List for his tireless efforts to reduce crime in Tottenham.

The Rev Nims Obunge, pastor at Freedom's Ark church, in Bruce Grove, has been appointed MBE for services to community relations.

The married father-of-two is chief executive of Peace Alliance, a voluntary organisation set up in 2001 to tackle crime in Haringey by promoting citizenship and a sense of community among young people.

He said: "I am very happy to receive the MBE but I can't take all the credit. All the work I do is in partnership with other people who are just as dedicated. But someone wanted to put me forward and for that I am honoured.

"Walking around in Tottenham I saw young people who desperately needed help who would never cross the doors of my church. So I knew I had to get out there and do something."

Mr Obunge, 43, has become a spokesman for the black community and is a member of the Home Office round table on guns, knives and gangs and a member of the Metropolitan Police Trident independent advisory group.

He sits on the London Crimestoppers advisory board and was a member of the Metropolitan Police Authority stop and search scrutiny panel.

His extensive list of community work continues in Haringey, where he volunteers as a police chaplain and is a governor of the College of North East London.

He is joined by three Haringey residents, all from Highgate, in receiving honours this year.

Marjorie Wallace, 63, of Bisham Gardens, chief executive and founder of SANE (formerly Schizoph-renia - a National Emer-gency) was awarded a CBE for her services to mental healthcare.

The former journalist set up the charity in 1986, after a series of articles she wrote on mental illness for The Sunday Times provoked an overwhelming public response.

The mother-of-four was inspired by the story of the Lazarus family, also from Haringey, who have dedicated their lives to campaigning for better care for mentally ill people following their 17-year-old daughter's diagnosis of schizophrenia.

Ms Wallace, who was awarded an MBE in 1994, said: "I'm delighted to receive this because it's very rare an unfashionable cause like mental illness is given such an honour.

"It's often thought people are awarded CBEs when they are on the way out, so I'd like to assure everyone that I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to continue fighting for those with mental illnesses and push it up the political agenda."

John Sorrell, from Highgate, has been knighted for services to creative industries.

The design expert is the founder and chief executive of the Sorrell foundation, which aims to inspire creativity in young people.

John Condron, 57, chief executive of Yell Group, the company behind Yellow Pages, was awarded a CBE for services to business.

The company, originally part of BT, was formed in 2001, and Mr Condron spearheaded its expansion into Europe and the US.