FOUR women who made contributions to their local community have received British Empire Medals.

The women were officially awarded their medals on Friday, April 21 at County Hall, Northallerton, by the Lord Lieutenant of North Yorkshire, Barry Dodd CBE, the Queen’s representative in the county, after they were included in the honours list earlier this year.

The British Empire Medal (BEM) is awarded for “sustained and notable contribution to the community”.

They were awarded to;

• Trudi Jeannette Abadi, of Leeming Bar, for services to law and order.

• Michelle Beckett, of Harrogate, for services to disadvantaged people in the UK and abroad.

• Jennifer Caswell Hildyard, of York, for services to the community in York.

• Mabel Louise McGurk, of Brookfield, Middlesbrough, for services to terminally ill patients and the community in Middlesbrough.

Mr Dodd said: “Yorkshire people are renowned for being generous with their time and energy, so it is always a great honour to recognise this by presenting British Empire Medals on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen. In every case the honour is very well deserved. Every recipient has a wonderful story to tell about selfless service to their community.”