A campaigning journalist said she was "honoured and humbled" to have been named in the King's Birthday Honours list.
"As a local paper journalist, I hope I have served my community with integrity and hope I have made a difference," Mrs Brading said.The mother-of-two worked for the Colchester Daily Gazette for 37 years, having started her career at the weekly title, the Braintree and Witham Times.
Mrs Brading helped to change the law following the death of teenager Cassie McCord who was struck by a car while standing on the pavement in Colchester in 2011. She was awarded for her efforts in 2013 and also won special recognition at the Society of Editors Awards.Other initiatives the journalist spearheaded included a £3.25m campaign to create a new cancer unit at Colchester Hospital.