A RETIRED businessman has been honoured for devoting more than 50 years of his life to the Scouts.

Derek Ward has been awarded the Chairman’s Medal, County Durham’s highest honour, by Chairman of Durham County Council, John Lethbridge.

Derek first joined 2nd Bishop Auckland as a teenager in 1966 before formally taking on a leader role in 1971, working with the Scout section.

In 1978 he took over as venture scout leader, looking after 15 to 20-year-old members of St George Venture Scout unit, before taking on the role of district venture scout leader, supporting Venture Scout Units across the whole district.

In 1985, Mr Ward took over as group scout leader, managing the whole group, then 48-strong.

Initially this did not include Beaver Scouts, which were not introduced until 1986 when Mr Ward found leaders to start a beaver scout colony for six to eight year olds which has thrived ever since.

He spearheaded the fundraising to purchase land and build a new scout centre in the mid 1990s and also ensured that Venture Scouts had their first transport in the 1980s, raising money again to purchase minibuses, for activities and trips.

Mr Ward, 65, held the group leader role until the end of 2004.

He continued for three years as an assistant group scout leader and since 2008, has been honorary group president and a member of the group executive committee.

Mr Ward, who was nominated for the Chairman’s Medal by Durham County Councillor for West Auckland Rob Yorke, now spends his spare time volunteering, with his wife Lynn and other members of their family, at the town's open air live show Kynren.

He is also known to many for setting up a car parts business, D.Ward Automotive, in Bishop Auckland, with Mrs Ward in 1982. The couple have since handed over the reigns to their children Stewart and Genette.

Mr Ward said he was humbled by the award which came as a complete shock as he thought he was going to do a talk on volunteering - a ploy Cllr Yorke used to get him to County Hall where his family and friends were waiting to congratulate him. He particularly praised Mrs Ward - who was the Scout's treasurer for 35 years herself - for supporting him.

Cllr Lethbridge said: “Derek has given more than 50 years to the Scouting movement and has given opportunities to generations of young people. He is a humble, kind, courteous, intelligent man whose outstanding desire is to help others and it would be impossible to calculate his contribution to the community.”