A PILLAR of the community was given the ultimate birthday present by the Queen when he was named on her own birthday honours list.David Judgeof Colchester, who will be 66 on Monday, has been awarded an MBE for his services to Rotary International, Scouting Worldwide and to the community in Essex.

A PILLAR of the community was given the ultimate birthday present by the Queen when he was named on her own birthday honours list.

David Judgeof Colchester, who will be 66 on Monday, has been awarded an MBE for his services to Rotary International, Scouting Worldwide and to the community in Essex.

He said: "It is a great honour and I feel very proud to receive the award. It has made a wonderful birthday present.

"It is a total shock and very much unexpected. I am just so surprised to be recognised in this way.

"I hope that everyone I have worked with in the past will share the award with me as without them it could never have been made possible."

Mr Judge, of Cottage Drive, is a member of Colchester Forum Rotary Club of which he was a founding member 30 years ago.

He has also founded other rotary clubs in Essex including Trinity and Centurion in Colchester, one at Mersea Island and another in Brightlingsea.

He has been involved with the Scouts for 54 years and is group President for 17th Colchester Sea Scouts, which he first joined in 1949.

He has also organised several poppy appeals in Colchester and been involved in promoting tourism within the town.

Another MBE goes to Billy Carbutt,67, of Langham, who was recognised for his services to the Elizabeth Finn Trust Charity and to the voluntary sector.

Mr Carbutt, who was chairman of the trust between 1994 and 2000, said: "Of course I am personally very delighted but I think that the recognition shows the importance of the trust and the commitment, dedication and enthusiasm of fellow trustees.

"I am extremely grateful to the volunteers and staff of the trust because if it was not for them there would not be anything or anyone to award."

The Finn Trust, founded in 1897, supports people of a professional background and offers them financial or practical assistance in times of hardship.

An MBE was also awarded to Yvonne Pyeof Brightlingsea for her services to the community.

Mrs Pye, of Bellfield Close, has worked for the British Red Cross for 32 years, been a guide for the 5th Brownie Pack in Brightlingsea for 33 years and will have worked as a teaching assistant at Brightlingsea Infants School for 30 years in February.

She said: "It is a total shock. Many people do so much more work than I do. Thousands of people do this sort of thing I just didn't realise that I would get it."

Other MBEs went to Derek Johnsonof Chelmsford for services to business and the community in Barking, Anne Rivettmanaging director of WB Bawnand Co Ltd in Saffron Walden for services to business in East Anglia and Allen Smithof Braintree for his work in the immigration service.

A Queen's Fire Service Medal was awarded to Roger Walsh, assistant chief fire officer at Essex fire and Rescue Service. He was abroad on holiday yesterday.

Mrs Rivett, the managing director of W B Bawn & Company of Bury St Edmunds, which trades as Helmsman Lockers. She is also the president of the manufacturers' organisation EEF, has been awarded the honour for services to businesses in East Anglia.

In her capacity as president of the EEF she has charged herself with encouraging companies to bring about innovation within their own infrastructure.

In a recent interview with the EADT she said: "Innovation does not necessarily mean a new product. It could mean changing the way you do things so we are working smarter, quicker and more efficiently than the opposition. It is all about working with people and keeping things going."

Yesterday she said: "I am so very, very shocked. Doing the work I do is very, very hard, but I could not do any of it without the help of the people around me. I have a great team of people here.

"I hope this award will reflect on Helmsman because it is a great company with great people working here. I feel so very honoured."