Darlington Councillor makes King's Birthday Honours list

Cllr Pauline Culley, the chairman of the South Durham Conservatives and Ward Councillor for Mowden, has been awarded an MBE in the King’s first Birthday Honours list.

Pauline is “beyond honoured” to have been recognised for her service to the North East, and is looking forward to going hat shopping for the ceremony

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Pauline said: “Little did I think when Cllr Tony Richmond OBE told me I'd make a great councillor in 2009, that it would lead to me being nominated for an MBE for Political Service myself. 

“It was a great privilege to be voted in as Ward Councillor for Mowden in 2014, then again 2015, 2019 and 2023 and I am forever grateful to the residents who come out time after time to return Alan Marshall and I to the council – especially those who have actually met me and still voted for me!

“The long hours spent promoting Conservative values and leading the Party locally as Chairman of Darlington and Sedgefield Conservatives were tiring but worth it to get our positive message out, and as always there is a huge team behind me who made all this possible, so my thanks go to them for all their efforts too.

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“The ceremony to receive the award could be several months away and I am really looking forward to going hat shopping and taking my mother down to London for it. 

“As a Member of the Order of the British Empire, I have the right to apply for a coat of arms and I am also entitled to use the Chapel at St Paul’s Cathedral for my grandchildren to be baptised or for my children to get married so we may well visit the Cathedral too while we’re there.

“I don’t know who nominated me for the award (although I have my suspicions) and it has been a challenge keeping the whole thing secret for the last few weeks as I am not usually known for my reticence, but I respect the system – I’m just glad it’s all out in the open now and I can tell everyone about it.”