Royal honours for proud duo

Malcolm Haigh, from Soothill, has been awarded the British Empire Medal – formerly the MBE.

And Pauline Gavin, who is head of a school in Leeds, has become in OBE.

Malcolm, who was chief reporter and a sub editor on the News, said he was delighted and humbled by the award, which was given in recognition of his services to the community.

Malcolm was the first secretary of Batley and Birstall Civic Society, chairman of Batley Community Alliance, a founder member and later co-ordinator of Batley Cemetery Support Group, chairman of both Batley Conservation Group and Batley History Group, and president of Dewsbury and District Ramblers.

He received a letter on Friday to say he had been awarded the medal, which will be presented at a local ceremony before being invited to a royal garden party at Buckingham Palace next summer.

A tireless campaigner for Batley, Malcolm – along with fellow members of the history group – opposed plans to close Batley Library and transfer services to the town hall, collecting 7,500 signatures on a petition in the space of three weeks. The proposal has now been shelved.

But he said he was most proud of the transformation of Batley Market Place brought about when he was secretary of the civic society, in the 1970s. The group tracked down owners of buildings in the market square and persuaded them to take part in a scheme which saw decades of smoke and grime removed from the stone buildings; afterwards it was declared a conservation area.

He is also a respected local historian, running local history classes which celebrate Batley for 25 years, and has written four books on the town.

He is involved with Woodkirk St Mary’s Church and served as a warden there for five years.

Malcolm said: “I’m absolutely chuffed to bits – not just for me but for everyone who is involved with all these different groups. It’s an award for them and their hard work too.”

Also honoured was headteacher Pauline Gavin of Brookroyd Lane, Birstall, who will become an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE).

Mrs Gavin, who has been head at St Bartholomew’s Primary School in Armley, Leeds, for 25 years, said she was gobsmacked when she heard the news.

“People like me don’t get things like that,” she said.

“It was absolutely fantastic. We work as a team so it isn’t just for me, it’s for the whole staff.”

Mrs Gavin will meet the Queen to receive her award sometime in the next seven months. “I’m going to get a nice new frock and a fascinator,” she said.

Last year St Bartholomew’s came top in the whole country for its value added score, which measures pupil progress.

The school has been rated outstanding in its last three Ofsted inspections, and Mrs Gavin said she was proud of the school’s inclusive ethos.

“We believe that every child can achieve,” she said.

The school’s pupils speak a total of 28 different languages.

Mrs Gavin said she had seen the school population grow from 120 to 550 pupils during her career.