A COUPLE from Reedley were shocked to discover they both had a date with destiny when the Queen’s birthday honours were announced.

Florence and Keith Tomlinson had both received letters from the Cabinet Office warning them they could be in line for an award.

But it was only when they reached the end of nearly 100 pages of nominations that they realised they each had cause to celebrate their own MBE, given for services to the community in Lancashire.

The pair are both hard-working members of Lancashire Crimestoppers, North West Air Ambulance and fundraisers for the Reedley-based Pendleside Hospice.

Florence, 62, said: “Everything we do, we do together. My husband is disabled and uses two sticks to get around. So it is all about working together in whatever we do.

“We each had a letter to say we had been nominated but you don’t know you have got it until the list of awards comes out.

“There were 96 pages of them and we only found out when we got to about page 91. Then we started getting calls from the rest of the family.

“We hadn’t told a soul, though we had discussed it between ourselves. You’d feel such a fool if you didn’t get it!

“We’ve been told that getting an MBE together is quite unusual.”

Their duties also extend to each being Brierfield town councillors and also sitting on the governing boards of Pendle View school and Pendle Community HIgh School.

The couple have two daughters, Vanessa, 40, and Lorretta, 33, and two grandchildren, Tristan, nine, and Virginia, five.