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Waiting to be called for THE CEREMONY at the Buckingham Palace, Tom guards the 'white envelope' very closely and often re-reads the letter.

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Late last year, Bolton resident and volunteer RNLI fundraiser Tom Ridyard received a surprise communication in the morning post.

”It was a white envelope marked ‘Cabinet Office’ and it said that the Prime Minister had put my name forward to the Queen for an OBE and asked if I would accept the award if it was confirmed Notification confirming the list of recipients would appear in the London Gazette on 31st December.”

The confirmation actually came via a phone-call and Tom will get five weeks’ notice for the award ceremony. ”It’s going to cost me a fortune” he said, laughing.

”The family want new outfits – and they want to know if they can go to London first class and stay in a first class hotel! I must say I can’t wait, though. I have young children and they are very excited. Their school and headmaster has been very kind and said that it will be booked as an educational visit, not an absence.

” So why did Tom become involved with this particular cause? ”When I was young we used to go for trips to Blackpool and Southport. I