A DEDICATED former councillor has been royally honoured with a British Empire Medal in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List.
Mike Gittus received the medal for services to the community of Alcester’.
And he told the Observer he was “surprised, but really pleased”, and could not wait to tell his 87-year-old mum when he received the letter.
The current chair of Alcester Royal British Legion and former county, district and town councillor said: “Despite the fact that I’ve tried to play it down my mum spent a good part of Sunday’s Court Leet market telling people all about it.”
“It’s a medal that I’ve been given but without the support of my wife, mother, sister and daughters I could not have devoted so much time and energy – nearly 14 years – to the work that brought it about.”
The former Stratford District Council chair said the inspiration for a life serving the community had come from his grandfather, Harry Gittus.
He added: “He held all the positions in the community that I have held and in many ways when I set out to work as a volunteer in the community it was his example that was in my mind.”
Mike announced his retirement from local politics in the run up to the local elections in May.
