New Year Honours: Work of heroes in communities is recognised

Published on Thursday 30 December 2010 15:09

The honours list this year again recognises many unsung Scots making vital contributions to their communities.

Among these are Celia Butler, 70, who has been awarded an MBE for services to older people on Arran.

She has been running the Cooriedoon care home on the island since the late 1980s along with daughter Sandra, after the death of her husband Peter a year before he was due to retire.

"I was a district nurse and because I saw gaps in the community I decided to open and came to Arran.

"My family came and we did it together and my daughter has been a friend and support throughout."

The home has 26 residents and 35 staff.

"You're not looking for a wage packet, you're looking to provide for people - the people you have living there and the people that are going to work there," she added.

"You don't think of anything else."

Highland postman John Mackay, who has one of the toughest routes in the UK, receives an MBE for his efforts.

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Mr Mackay, a postman for more than 44 years, was a vital lifeline to the local community, delivering mail in all weather conditions in the Bettyhill area of Caithness, one of the most challenging delivery routes in the region.

A number of headteachers have also been recognised for their efforts in this year's list.

Sheila Taylor, headteacher at Annette Street Primary School in Glasgow, gets a CBE, while Elaine Davidson, of Fife's Tanshall Primary, and John Fitzpatrick, of Williamwood Secondary in East Renfrewshire, get OBEs.

A Second World War veteran who vowed to spend his life helping others if he survived after his tank was hit was awarded an MBE for voluntary service to the Royal British Legion Scotland.

Grandfather Ian Forsyth, who is in his 80s, said he was "delighted" at the honour.

He said: "I was taken aback, because it came out of the blue, but delighted.

"I was brought up in the legion because my father and uncle and grandfather were all members, and I became a member too. It has been part of my life all my life through good times and bad times."

His tank was hit two days after he was turned away from the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.

"I made up my mind then that, if I survived, I would spend the rest of my life trying to help others who were not so lucky and that's what I've done," he said.

John Bell has also been recognised with an MBE for his service to the legion in West Lothian.

Alice Carnduff gets an MBE for her service Save the Children in Paisley.