The Honours system gives national recognition to people who have given exceptional service in public and community life and are committed to making a difference to those around them. It was revealed last night that two south Cumbria residents had been given the honour. Among those is Barrow resident Dennis Laird who has been awarded the honour for his services to the community in town.
Dennis was a member of the local coastguard for over 30 years and was the chairman of school governors at Walney School. The 75-year-old was also chairman of Barrow Credit Union and is currently a board member for the local charity Safa. Dennis Laird was given the Medallist of the Order of the British Empire (BEM) (Image: Submitted) He is a joint founder and Chairman of the North Scale Residents’ Association, established in 1993 to represent the interests and provide facilities for the residents of the Walney village.
Reacting to the news he said: "Very proud and surprising moment because I did not have a clue who nominated me and why. "It means a great deal to me because I do not do things for recognition but it is nice to know that somebody somewhere thought that what I did was worthy of recognition and the fact that the system has agreed. "I am old-fashioned enough to believe that you should put something back into the community in which you live in and that was my way of doing it.
" Jayne Moorby, Head of Marketing at Oxley Group in Ulverston , has also been recognised in the 2024 Birthday .
