Milnrow’s beloved ‘Parcel Brian’ receives British Empire Medal

Milnrow and Newhey delivery driver Brian Morton received his British Empire Medal in a special ceremony at the Milnrow Working Men’s Club on Saturday (15 April).

Brian, known locally as ‘Parcel Brian’, was awarded the medal for services to the community during Covid-19 in 2022.

He was presented with the medal by the King’s representative, Lord Lieutenant Diane Hawkins, in front of his family and friends in his home village.

Mrs Hawkins gave an overview of the medal’s history, before outlining why Brian had been awarded the honour.

Before pinning the medal to Brian’s suit, Mrs Hawkins said: “All this work was carried out by him voluntarily and done out of the goodness of his heart, motivated by his care for those who are in a worse situation.

“His support is the backbone of the village, and he has helped to create a community that supports each other in times of need.”

 

 

A rapturous round of applause followed before a few words from the Mayor of Rochdale and local councillor Irene Davidson.

Brian said: “It is such an honour to receive such a prestigious award. I didn’t realise the impact I was having on people; I was just doing what I thought was right. I saw where people were vulnerable and I tried to do as much as I could to help.

“It was a pleasure to see so many people on Saturday wanting to share this with me as well. Thank you so much, and thank you to the Lord Lieutenant, her aide, Stephen Hall, and the Mayor of Rochdale for attending. And thank you also to Tony Hughes, who started the nomination process, and Irene Davidson for putting me forward.”

During lockdown, Brian worked up to 14 hours a day as a local Hermes (now Evri) delivery driver, whilst ensuring the safety and wellbeing of the village residents.

Known for his community spirit and support, Brian gave his contact details to all elderly and vulnerable residents so they could contact him for support if they were struggling throughout the pandemic.

 

 

Within days, he was running errands for vulnerable residents: delivering shopping, arranging online deliveries, collecting prescriptions and, alongside his Hermes deliveries, he would take residents’ parcels to the post office.

For one struggling resident, without being asked, he purchased a brand-new radio after theirs had broken. He knew this was his main source of company and was vital to the resident’s wellbeing.

The village community is at the heart of his work, and even on dog walks with his family, Brian knocks on the windows of isolated neighbours and says hello, offering the much-needed contact they have been missing.

To lift morale, he would give out little wooden pocket hugs to those who were lonely and sad due to restrictions, to give them hope and remind them they are not alone.

In addition, Brian contributed to the organisation of the local ‘Villages Unite’ Christmas bag, purchasing diaries, pens and puzzle books and delivering to the older residents of the community.

During the first Christmas lockdown, he provided hundreds local children with gifts of chocolate to boost morale as there had been no typical Christmas visits from Father Christmas or local pantomimes.

Even when his van was targeted by a gang, who stole equipment from his van, he immediately returned to work to ensure all commitments to local residents were delivered.