Rochdale & Bury Bridleways Association receive Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service

Irene Pope and Gill Morrell at Buckingham Palace

Rochdale & Bury Bridleways Association (RBBA) has been given the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, the MBE for voluntary groups.

Two officers of the Association, Chairwoman Irene Pope representing Bury and Treasurer Gillian Morrell representing Rochdale, attended a Garden Party at Buckingham Palace on 23 May.

Norden Councillor Michael Holly nominated the Association, with Clive Entwistle, from Friends of Taylor Park and Lila Crawshaw, a local rider, supporting the nomination.

At a further event in Manchester a signed certificate from Her Majesty the Queen and an English crystal with the logo insignia will be presented to the Group by The Lord Lieutenant of Greater Manchester.

Rochdale & Bury Bridleways Association (RBBA) has been working to protect bridleways and by-ways of the area and create new safe off-road routes for horse riders for over 30 years.

The majority of these are also open to walkers and cyclists.

A spokesperson for RBBA said: "These routes are needed because it has become increasingly more dangerous for horse riders to use the roads. The British Horse Society has published statistics showing that since 2010 38 riders and 222 horses have been killed in road traffic accidents."