A LONG-serving Hyndburn magistrate has been awarded an MBE in recognition of his community work.
Bernard Holden, 69, of Queen Elizabeth Crescent, Accrington, was delighted to be included in the Queen's Birthday Honours List.
Bernard, who has been a JP since 1983, said: "It is a great honour to receive this award. On the one hand I am delighted but on the other I feel there are many other people out there who are more deserving than me."
"I feel the award is a combination of a lot of different things I am involved with in the community."
"My wife is worried about what hat she should buy for the ceremony, although I have not yet been told when it will be."
Bernard has been married to Jean for 44 years and they have four children, Anne, 44, Robert, 41, Peter, 39, and Paul, 35.
Before retiring, he worked as a lecturer at Accrington and Rossendale College, teaching plumbing.
He is chairman of Hyndburn's Licensing and Betting Committee and vice-chairman of the Bench Training and Development Committee.
Away from the courtroom he is chairman of Hyndburn Homewise and chairman of the governors of St Anne's and St Joseph's RC Primary School.
He is also chairman of the board of Hyndburn Council's regeneration arm, Hyndburn FIRST. His hobbies include walking and gardening.
Bernard said: "I am involved in a lot of things and I have worked with some terrific people. It is difficult to pick one role that I have been especially proud of, but I have enjoyed being chairman of Lee Royds Nursery, something I have done for about 20 years."
"My children went there and I have a long-standing involvement with it."
