Thousand of hours of commitment to Cumbria have been recognised in the New Year’s Honours list. Carlisle tourism president Eric Robson was given an OBE, mountain rescue stalwart Ray Griffiths an MBE, and John Kane, Stuart Stokell and William Little received BEMs for their services to their wider communities. Ray Griffiths, 72, of Penruddock village, was awarded an MBE for his work with mountain rescue. He is the national president of Mountain Rescue England and Wales and the longest-serving member of the Patterdale team, which he joined in 1976. His service at regional and national level has been extensive over the years with contributions to the Lake District Search and Mountain Rescue Association, Mountain Rescue Heritage project and the national Mountain Rescue Committee. As chairman of the Conference Committee, he was recognised in 2012 with a Distinguished Service award.