a day ago
King's Birthday Honours: Park volunteer among Shropshire recipients
An 87-year-old who has led a team of volunteers in a country park for 34 years has said he is "absolutely baffled" to receive a British Empire Medal in the King's Birthday Honours Bannister said he started working in Severn Valley Country Park in Shropshire in 1991 because he was looking for something to do after taking voluntary is one of six people from the county to be recognised in the list and said: "It won't change anything for me, I'll just carry on working until I drop."Other Shropshire honours recipients include a "dedicated litter picker", a gymnastics coach and an RAF fundraiser.
Mr Bannister said he was drawn to volunteering at the country park, close to Bridgnorth, because he was "very keen on nature" and was friends with the head former mining site was transformed into a country park three decades ago and in 2022 a tree was planted there to honour Mr Bannister's lifelong leads a team of 30 volunteers who look after the 126-acre park and has also overseen successful bids for more than £30,000 in recent years he has scaled back his own role but said: "It keeps me going, it finds me something to do."
Jim Diggory from Nesscliffe has also been conferred a British Empire Medal for services to the said he had lived in the same area since he was a child and had been "into community things since I was in the Cubs".Mr Diggory added he was "pretty chuffed" and did not realise his work, which included planting trees, organising litter picks and fundraising for sculptures, was appreciated so much."What else are you going to do?" he joked. "We haven't got great internet here."
Other Shropshire recipients
John McGlasson from Newport, a Training Support Officer at RAF Cosford, was also conferred a British Empire Medal for services to defence and to charitable Richard Howells from Telford, the founder of Bronze Software Labs, has becmoe an OBE for services to business and Lusty from Nash, near Ludlow, been appointed MBE for services to road safety for his work at the Driving Standards Agency, as has coach and BBC commentator Christine Still, from Edgmond, for services to gymnastics.
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