No joke as Oswestry man gets award in Queen's Birthday Honours
An Oswestry man binned a letter informing him that he had been given an award in the Queen's Birthday Honours because he thought it was a joke.
Barry Ryan thought his mates were 'winding him up' when the letter dropped through his letter box in May.
It wasn't until he got a call from a secretary at the Cabinet office a few days later that he realised the letter offering him a British Empire Medal (BEM) was genuine.
Mr Ryan, a retired Walford and North Shropshire College caretaker, has since received the BEM from the Queen's representative in Shropshire, Lord Lieutenant Algernon Heber-Percy, during a ceremony at the Wynnstay Hotel in Oswestry. The 66-year-old from Oswestry said: "I thought my mates were winding me up, when I received the letter in May.
"I showed the letter to the wife and we had a good laugh, then I ripped it up and threw it in the bin. I still can't believe it.
"I really loved working at the college, so much so that I never missed a day's work and now, having recently retired from caretaking, I've gone back to work as a driver for them."
Mr Ryan was nominated for the award by Dave Candlin, estates manager at the college.
Mr Ryan and his wife Yolande will be attending a garden party at Buckingham Palace next year to celebrate his achievement.