ONE of the country's leading ear surgeons, who lived in Knutsford for 30 years, has been awarded an MBE in the New Year's Honours List.

Professor Richard Thomas Ramsden lived in Allostock and Legh Road in Knutsford while he worked as a surgeon at Manchester Royal Infirmary, Salford Royal and Manchester Children's Hospital.

He was professor of Otolaryngology at Central Manchester University Hospital Trust and also held a role as honorary professor at the University of Manchester.

He retired three months ago and moved to Thame in Oxfordshire to be closer to his children and grandchildren.

But before retirement Prof Ramsden, 70, led a team at the trust who helped people suffering from profound hearing loss.

Through the use of cochlear implants, a level of hearing was restored to patients, with Prof Ramsden, who joined Manchester Royal Infirmary in 1977, the man behind securing funding for the initial project in 1988. Since then the programme has been rolled out for children and young adults.

"I initially worked with the neuro surgeons taking tumours out of the brain," he told the Guardian.

"But probably the area I am most well known for is that I introduced the technique of cochlear implants and we started that in 1988.

"We raised a lot of money to establish that department when the NHS didn't want to fund it. There's been many departments since but we were the first in the UK to really do it."

Prof Ramsden said it was 'very nice' to be recognised for his work.

"You go through your professional life and you don't work thinking you may get something at the end of it," he added.

"Getting an award at the end is like the icing on the cake and it is a bonus. You don't work for it but it is very nice to be recognised.

"We met a lot of friends around Knutsford and I was a member at Wilmslow Golf Club. But I did a lot of lecturing all over the world in recent years so didn't have a chance to play as often as I wanted. I loved Knutsford and it was a great place to live."

Prof Ramsden was awarded his MBE for services to Otolaryngology.

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