Recognition for hard work
FOUR Banburyshire residents have been recognised for their hard work and community spirit in the New Year Honours list.
Bloxham resident and former chairman of the Scottish Conservative Party George Kynoch has been awarded an OBE for political and public service.
Banbury-born Miriam Mason-Sesay was awarded an MBE for her outstanding contribution to education and charitable work in Sierra Leone.
Ms Mason-Sesay has lived and worked in Sierra Leone for 12 years and is now Country Director for EducAid – a charity which provides education for children from poor backgrounds.
Lino Pires of the Butchers Arms in Priors Hardwick was recognised for his services to charity and to the village community, while Roger Shorter of Churchill near Chipping Norton was awarded for services to the community. They were both given British Empire Medals (BEM) which were reintroduced in June 2012 and reward praiseworthy civilian or military service.
Mr Shorter, 76, has lived in Churchill for more than 25 years and has been heavily involved in the community, both on the parish council and as a member of the fundraising committee for the village church.
He said: “It was very unexpected! I knew about a month ago that my name was put forward and assumed that I wouldn’t hear anything else after that.
“I feel very honoured. In this community there are an awful lot of people that do not get much recognition for the hard work they do.”
A date for Mr Shorter to collect his award has yet to be confirmed, but he will be taking his wife Sue with him to Buckingham Palace.
Lino Pires, 80, has been part of the community in Priors Hardwick for 40 years and together with his family has raised about £250,000 for charity.
Mr Pires will take his son Peter and daughter-in-law Helen to collect the award. He said: “I found out last week and felt sad because my late wife Augusta deserved it more. All my children and grandchildren have helped out at the pub since we have been here, and the customers have really helped us.”
l Turn to page 11 to find out how the Pires family will mark 40 years of running the Butchers Arms.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Banbury
Tuesday 21 May 2013
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 8 C to 16 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: North
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 4 C to 14 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: North west
