A COUPLE who have spent more than half of their lives working for the good of others – clocking up 100 years of service between them - have been recognised with a national honour.

Joy and John Hudson, of Norton, near Malton, have been given a British Citizen Award for their services to the community.

The awards were launched in January 2015, to recognise exceptional individuals who work tirelessly and selflessly to make a positive impact on society.

Joy, aged 70, and John, 75, have both been involved with Malton Cricket Club since the 1960s.

Over the years, thanks to their efforts, the cricket club joined up with other local cricket, football and hockey clubs to become the Fitzwilliam Sports Association.

Joy was the key figure behind the clubs obtaining over £200,000 to replace an old wooden pavilion with a secure modern building that could offer proper facilities to a range of local sports teams.

So dedicated to the club is Joy that even though she was barely able to walk due to a back problem a year ago, she was back behind the bar of the sports club just weeks after spinal surgery.

The couple campaign tirelessly to raise funds to keep the club going, spending hours in local supermarkets selling raffle tickets and holding charity events. They have organised sportsman’s dinners with famous sporting celebrities and oversee and undertake building maintenance.

John was also a governor at Norton College for 25 years, over half that time as chair of governors. When he finally retired from being a governor recently, the school renamed the school hall in honour of him.

John said: “We were staggered when we were told about the award but also very proud.

“In my opinion, Joy is much more deserving of the award then me, but I’m sure she would disagree.”