A REDDITCH man has received a unique honour after decades of dedication to St John Ambulance.

Brian Morley, of Headless Cross, was invested as a member of the Order of St John at a special ceremony in the historic Grand Priory Church, Clerkenwell, London, after 35 years as a volunteer.

At the ceremony, Mr Morley was admitted as Serving Brother (SBStJ) and presented with the Insignia by the Prior of the Priory of England and the Islands, Sir Brian Jenkins.

Each award has to be approved by the Queen who is Sovereign Head of the Order.

Mr Morley said: "The whole event left me elated, it was absolutely superb."

He joined St John Ambulance as a nurse while he was a member of the the RAF in 1971 based in Singapore and the US.

His father was a divisional president in St John in Derbyshire and from 1974-1977, Mr Morley attended whenever possible as its nursing officer while still on active service.

In 1977, as divisional nursing officer in Buckinghamshire, he joined the St John Aeromedical Service, flying more than 500 hours and bringing back people from a number of countries.

In the 1980s after he retired from the RAF, Mr Morley was made divisional nursing officer then superintendent of Redditch division.

He then moved up to area supervisor and then on to the county staff team where his main task was to organise competitions.

His nursing training has been put to good use on many occasions at the St John hospital tent at one of the charity's busiest days at the annual Three Counties Show in Malvern.