DEARHAM Boys Brigade leader Paul Gilmour has received an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for his services to the village.

The 51-year-old, of Main Street, who works as an electrician with Amey Infrastructure, Cockermouth, dedicated his honour to the men, women and boys of the organisation.

“I was absolutely stunned to receive the letter,” he said.

"Never in a million years would I have expected this. It’s a great honour, but I receive it on behalf of the men and women who give their time to the movement.”

Mr Gilmour joined the Boys Brigade in 1978, when the Dearham group was reformed by the Rev Michael Cumber, having disbanded in the 1940s.

He said he was very much looking forward to his trip to London to pick up his honour from the Queen.

Barry Snelson, managing director of Sellafield owner British Nuclear Fuels, scooped an MBE for his services to the nuclear industry.

Mr Snelson worked as an engineering officer for the Royal Navy and joined BNFL in 1980 as a production engineer.

He later moved to Sellafield as head of the Magnox reprocessing business and later became the site’s director of operations and the chief operations officer, rising to managing director in August 2004.

The 56-year-old said he was overwhelmed to be given an MBE.

He added: “I was surprised and delighted when I opened the letter, it was quite unexpected.

“I accept it as a joint award with my wife Lesley - we are a team. We celebrate our silver anniversary this year so it’s fitting.

“I hope this can also act as recognition of the work we do in the nuclear industry."

Cumbria’s deputy chief constable Christine Twigg received a Queen’s Police Medal and Tony Parrini, the public face of the RAF in Cumbria for more than a decade, received an MBE for his years of fund-raising work with the Rotary Club.

In all, 10 Cumbrians were named on the list - one of the county’s best ever hauls.