headline: New Year Honours: Bristol Beacon chief appointed CBE
text: f executive of an arts venue who oversaw its name change away from that of a slave trader has been recognised in the New Year Honours.
  Bristol Beacon's Louise Mitchell has been appointed CBE in recognition of her services to the arts.
  She led on the name change of the former Colston Hall, but Ms Mitchell is also credited with bringing music to wider audiences. 
  ward will "help raise the profile of the arts in Bristol", she said. 
  "None of us work alone, it takes a variety of skills to make special things happen and I'm proud of the excellent spirit of team working at Bristol Beacon," Ms Mitchell added.
  She was recognised in King Charles III's first New Year Honours list for a career that spans more than four decades.
  As chief executive of the charity Bristol Music Trust, which runs Bristol Beacon, Ms Mitchell has steered the ongoing £107m transformation of the concert venue, one of the biggest arts regeneration projects in the UK, the cost of which has more than doubled.  
  She is credited with "reinvigorating the classical music programme", bringing a landmark staging by Sir John Eliot Gardiner of the three Monteverdi operas that were voted The Guardian's classical music event of the year to Bristol.
  Simon Chapman, chair of Bristol Beacon's Board of Trustees, said: "Louise's drive, vision and entrepreneurial spirit have inspired the once-in-a-generation project to transform the main music spaces of Bristol Beacon into a fully accessible, world-class venue, which will attract audiences and artists for the next 150 years. 
  "I am thrilled that her work has been recognised in this way - it is much deserved."
  Before moving to Bristol, Ms Mitchell worked in Scotland, including as director of Glasgow's Concert Halls for 13 years, where she spearheaded the regeneration of two of the city's most revered venues, the City Halls and The Old Fruitmarket.
  Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE):
  Medallists of the Order of the British Empire (BEM):
  Follow BBC West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: bristol@bbc.co.uk 