Prominent people from Leicestershire, including a news reader and a political campaigner, have been included in the latest edition of Who's Who.

Five people born in the county and four currently living in Leicestershire have been included in the 2011 edition.

The reference book, published annually since 1849, contains more than 33,000 short biographies of living "noteworthy and influential" individuals from across the world.

Wigston-born Julie Etchingham, presenter of ITV News at Ten and Tonight, said she felt honoured to appear in the publication along with her idol, broadcaster Joan Bakewell.

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She said: "It's extraordinary. If you're in Who's Who then you're listed alongside many great names. It's a great honour but it's also great for News at Ten and the Tonight programme.

"Joan Bakewell is someone a lot of female journalists look up to, and that's certainly the case for me. I was also taught by Germaine Greer at Cambridge University.

"To be included with those two extraordinary women is a real privilege."

Mrs Etchingham, who also lived in Groby and Kirby Muxloe, previously worked for Sky News and the BBC and was named Presenter of the Year at the Royal Television Society journalism Awards in February.

In the mid-1980s, at the age of 15, she did work experience at the Leicester Mercury and still keeps the cuttings from her time at the newspaper.

She said: "I remember I went to court with one of the reporters and really enjoyed it. I still have the cutting and look back at the time I spent there.

"My parents still live in Kirby Muxloe and it's great when I come back because I get to read the paper – I can look online but it's not quite the same."

Also included is Simon Woolley, who was raised by foster parents in Leicester and founded Operation Black Vote, an organisation which campaigns for greater racial justice and equality in the UK.

In December 2009 he was appointed as a commissioner for the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

He was recently named among the 1,000 most influential Londoners by the Evening Standard.

He said: "Who's Who is a great British historic book, so I'm humbled and honoured to be included. I hope it can be an inspiration to others to become a success.

"I was raised on the St Matthew's estate in the city, which was very working class, and went to Taylor Road Primary School, so I started from very humble backgrounds.

"Operation Black Vote has managed to transform politics in a small way and being commissioner for the Equality and Human Rights Commission is a big deal to me.

"Things are a lot better now but inequalities still exists. If we can highlight this and get cities like Leicester to be the standard bearer then that would be fantastic."

Sky Sports' managing director Barney Francis, who grew up in Kirby Muxloe, is also featured.

He said: "It's a real honour."

Also included in the 2011 edition of Who's Who are Leicester-born Richard Roberts, a Master of the Senior, formerly Supreme, Court, Queen's Bench Division, since 2009; and the Rev Christopher Andrews, Rector of Grantham since 1996 and chaplain to the Queen since 2009.

The four people now living in Leicestershire who have been added to the book are the Rev Christopher Boyle, assistant Bishop of Leicester; Dr David Field, professor of neonatal medicine at the University of Leicester and consultant neonatologist at the University Hospitals of Leicester; Margaret Galliers, principal and chief executive at Leicester College, and De Montfort University's vice-chancellor Dominic Shellard.