The best friend of a woman who was bludgeoned to death by her husband said she is “deeply moved and overwhelmed” to feature in the New Year Honours list as she called for more to be done to tackle domestic abuse.

Hetti Barkworth-Nanton, who has been made a CBE for services to people affected by domestic abuse and homicide, acknowledged that the honour would not be happening “were it not for my beautiful friend Joanna Simpson, who lost her life so brutally at the hands of her estranged husband”.

Ms Simpson was beaten to death with a claw hammer by Robert Brown in their family home in October 2010, as their two young children cowered in a playroom.

Ms Simpson’s mother Diana Parkes has also been made a CBE, for services to vulnerable children suffering from domestic abuse and domestic homicide.

Brown was cleared of Ms Simpson’s murder, having admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility, and was due to be released on licence in November this year after serving 13 years of a 26-year sentence.

The former British Airways captain, formerly of Winkfield in Berkshire, was sentenced to 24 years for manslaughter and a further two years for an offence of obstructing a coroner in the execution of his duty.

He killed Ms Simpson one week before the finalisation of their divorce and dumped her body in a makeshift coffin in Windsor Great Park.

His automatic release from prison was blocked by the Justice Secretary in October.

Relatives and friends of Ms Simpson had called on Alex Chalk to block her killer’s automatic release, saying he remained a danger to the public, and to refer the case to the Parole Board – something he did after pledging to “give this case my closest personal attention”.

The Ministry of Justice said the board, an independent body that carries out risk assessments on prisoners to determine whether they can be safely released, would make a decision on whether to release Brown “in due course”.

Ms Barkworth-Nanton co-founded the Joanna Simpson Foundation alongside Ms Parkes and is also chair of domestic abuse charity Refuge.

She thanked Ms Parkes for “working so bravely together with me for much-needed change”.

Ms Barkworth-Nanton, who also thanked her own family for their support, hailed the honour as a “testament to those many individuals who dedicate themselves to this cause, survivors of domestic abuse who bravely tell their story, and the family and friends who support them”.

Telling how “deeply moved and overwhelmed” she was when she found out she was to be included in the honours list, she also paid tribute to all those working in criminal justice, health and social care, law, education and human resources, who “continue to ask the right questions, and be there for survivors when they so badly need help”.

She said: “Today I work with and alongside many incredible colleagues, who work and volunteer for Refuge, The Joanna Simpson Foundation, and sister organisations throughout the VAWG (violence against women and girls) sector who work tirelessly to support women and children experiencing domestic abuse and whose commitment inspires me every day.

“Whilst domestic abuse is predominantly perpetrated on women, I also recognise and applaud the work of Respect and others who provide much-needed support to men who are experiencing abuse.”

But she said while many things have “changed for the better”, there remains “a huge amount of work still to be done” regarding domestic abuse and violence.