Queen honours people from across the region

10:34pm Friday 16th May 2008

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PEOPLE from across the North-East were honoured at Buckingham Palace today.

The Queen presented ten people from the region with MBEs, OBEs and CBEs at the palace.

Norma Town, 75, from Darlington, was recognised with an MBE for services to the community.

A town councillor for 20 years, Mrs Town, who has been blind since childhood, was a founding member of Advocacy in Darlington, The Talking Newspaper, and the Marlins Swimming Club for disabled people.

She has also held posts as governor at schools including Mowden Infants, Abbey Road, North Road and Hummersknott and is still governor at North Road and George Dent Nursery.

Her list of her commitments is seemingly endless: she is involved in the 700 Club, for homeless and vulnerable people, a women's refuge, and is a director of the Darlington Council for Voluntary Service.

Others from the region who were commemorated were: Cheyenne Garland from near Stokesley was made a CBE; Paul Bleasdale, from Darlington, was made an OBE; Victor Emery, from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, was made an OBE; Janet Anderson, from Malton, was made an MBE; Pauline Annan, from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, was made an MBE; Renee Hub, from South Shields, was made an MBE; Dr Delma Tomlin, from York, was made an MBE; Christine Wilson, from Newton Aycliffe, was made an MBE; Richard Davies, from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, was made an MBE.

Last month, Major Eileen Carr, of Darlington, from the Queen Alexandria Royal Army Nursing Corps was presented with her Afghanistan Operational Service Medal by The Duke of Kent at a ceremony at Edinburgh Castle.