THE man dubbed Mr Horton for his relentless efforts to save the town's hospital has been presented with a rare medal by the Rotary Club of Banbury.
George Parish, leader of the Keep the Horton General campaign, was made a member of the Paul Harris Fellowships in a unanimous decision by the club.
The award, which was created in memory of the Rotary's founder Paul Harris, is only presented to a
n elite number of people both nationally and internationally "in recognition of exceptional service".
Thanking Mr Parish on behalf of the Rotary Club and the people of Banburyshire, president Martin Phillips said: "To quote a well worn, but on this occasion a very appropriate expression, 'cometh the hour, cometh the man' – and George was that man!
"The Paul Harris Fellow is the highest and most prestigious award the Rotarians can give. We all thought George should have some recognition for all the hard work, time and effort he has put in to the Horton campaign."
Mr Parish was presented with a medallion on a blue and gold ribbon by Mr Phillips, along with a certificate and lapel pin to show the special significance of the award.
The presentation was made at a luncheon in front of 70 Rotarians last Friday after approval for the award was granted from America, where the award was established.
The group decided to make Mr Parish a member of the Paul Harris Fellowships three months ago, regardless of the Horton's outcome.
Mr Phillips added: "It takes several months to organise this award and it just happened to be very fortunate that the timing couldn't have been better."
Since the awards were introduced in 1957, one million people have been presented with the accolade across the globe. Of those, just nine have been presented by the Rotary Club of Banbury in its 70-year history, and only two others were presented to non-Rotarians.
Mr Parish said he had no idea he was being presented with the award, and had attended the lunch under the pretence he was to do a presentation about the Horton Hospital.
He said: "It came as such a shock to me; I went there to do a presentation on the hospital when I was suddenly presented with this award. I think for the first time ever I was totally speechless.
"It was very emotional to think someone wanted to give me an international award and I was so pleased to accept it on behalf of the campaign group and everyone in Banbury. I am over the moon and the next time I'm doing anything publicly I will wear it with pride. I'm absolutely delighted.
"I never expected any medals and that was one of the proudest moments in my life."
Since the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals Trust announced proposals to downgrade facilities including maternity and paediatrics at the Horton Hospital, Mr Parish has led numerous public campaigns against the plans. These included a march through the town to a rally in People's Park, the Hands-round-the-Horton protest and meetings with the Independent Reconfiguration Panel to convince it not to endorse the downgrading proposals.
His tireless efforts paid off at the end of last month when Secretary of State Alan Johnson announced he would be formerly rejecting the trust's proposals.
