Longhoughton woman receives parish's first freedom award

The honour is in recognition of the service she has given to Longhoughton Parish Council and Longhoughton Community and Sports Centre.

In a ceremony attended by more than 30 residents and friends, parish council chairman Adrian Hinchcliffe presented Eleanor with a framed scroll.

He explained that the freedom of the parish is the highest award that a parish council can make and it is awarded for eminent and outstanding voluntary service to the community.

Eleanor had given service which is above and beyond what could be expected from a volunteer over an eight year period, he added.

She had acted as chair and vice chair of the parish council and has been chair of the community centre since 2016.

Additionally, she created a team of volunteers that helped people who are vulnerable and needed help, especially during the Covid-19 lockdowns, and helped to establish the Warm Hub in Longhoughton.

During Storm Arwen, Eleanor opened the community centre as an emergency help centre for those who did not have an electricity supply.

In addition she has taken on many other roles in the community including acting as a joint editor of the community newsletter.

When the award was initially announced in July, Eleanor said: “I was really surprised and feel very honoured that the parish have given me this award, although I don’t know that I deserve it! I got involved in community life because I wanted to, not because I wanted recognition.”