Queen’s honour for East ren residents

Two East Renfrewshire community stalwarts have been honoured by the Queen.

Eleanor Bremner and Rena McGuire have been awarded the British Empire Medal for services to the community.

It is granted in recognition of people who have demonstrated dedicated service at the highest possible level and which has had a real impact on their local community.

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The medal was reintroduced into the UK in 2012 to coincide with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

Mrs McGuire and Mrs Bremner are only the second and third people to receive the BEM in East Renfrewshire since it was reintroduced.

Both were presented with their prestigious awards by Mr Guy Clark, the Lord-Lieutenant for Renfrewshire, who said he did so ‘with great pleasure’.

He said: “It was the greatest honour to present these two ladies with their richly deserved awards.

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“I very much hope a number of additional winners will also be identified and suitably rewarded in future.”

Mrs Bremner has had the award granted for her considerable contribution to Macmillan Cancer Support for almost 30 years.

She joined the Glasgow 84 Committee fundraising group in 1987 and has chaired it for a number of years. It has raised more than £2 million for Macmillan on behalf of patients and their families.

Mr Clark said: “The drive and energy of Mrs Bremner has made a major contribution to all aspects of the committee’s work, in particular the annual art exhibition, which has raised more than £100,000 each year for the charity.”

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Mrs Bremner, who is from Newton Mearns, has also served on the Macmillan Council, which is made up of the most senior and respected volunteers from across the UK. They provide a valuable service to the charity’s trustees and management.

Tireless work on behalf of the community, in particular the vulnerable and less fortunate, has earned Rena McGuire the BEM. She has had a profound impact on the lives of many people in East Renfrewshire.

Since 1986, Mrs McGuire, from Barrhead, has been at the forefront of a range of community initiatives and programmes in an area that has a higher than average level of deprivation.

She has faced these challenges head on and committed herself to voluntary involvement in a variety of roles, from the provision of home safety equipment, youth activities and helping older people to be more inclusive by holding community events. She has also been involved in numerous other voluntary activities.

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Mr Clark said: “She has made the community a better place to be.”

The Lord-Lieutenant is encouraging local people to nominate a deserving East Renfrewshire resident, or group for much-deserved recognition such as a national honour or the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in appropriate circumstances.

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