A LONG-SERVING teacher celebrates today being awarded an MBE.

Judith Kent, 61, who works at Abbey Junior School, Darlington, has been teaching for 41 years.

She has been worked in the profession for so long that she was recently introduced to new colleague, Fiona Chisman - who she taught in 1988.

Abbey Junior headteacher George Ford said: "Judith is very enthusiastic and is an excellent teacher."

Geoff Pennington, Darlington's director of education, said: "We are delighted for Judith and the teaching profession as a whole because they deserve this sort of recognition."

Judith is thought to be the first teacher in Darlington to be awarded an MBE since the council became a unitary authority in 1997