'Delight' Cricket hero Syd made an MBE

BRISTOL cricket legend David ‘Syd’ Lawrence, who took 625 wickets for Gloucestershire, has been made an MBE in the King's Birthday Honours.

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The 61-year-old was diagnosed with motor neurone disease last year.

Mr Lawrence said: “It is an incredibly proud moment to have been awarded an MBE in the King's Birthday Honours. It is not something I ever thought would sit after my name, but I am absolutely delighted that it will do so for however long I am here and will be a part of my legacy when I am gone.

“As a proud Gloucester man who achieved his dream to play for England on the cricket field, it means a great deal to me and to my family who have supported me with all their love during some difficult times. I have always put my heart and soul into any challenge I have faced and that is how I have approached things since my diagnosis with motor neurone disease. With awareness and funds for research we can make a positive difference for those who will need it in the future.”

Meanwhile, a Bristol charity has recently hosted a celebration of the King's Award for Voluntary Services it was awarded in 2023.

The Marmalade Trust, based in St Pauls, connects volunteers with people suffering from loneliness by offering them support and social connection. Thanks to the charity, strangers who saved each other from loneliness during the Covid lockdowns are still firm friends years later - despite their 49-year age gap.

Sammy Cheeseman, 39, says her life would not be the same now without her 88-year-old friend Irene Neary, who became her unlikely companion back in 2020.