85-year-old Sutton RAF veteran honoured by Queen for community work

Mr Bingley, who lives on Kirkby Folly Road, Sutton, has been honoured for services to the community in Sutton.

Married to Audrey, and with one daughter and one grand daughter, Mr Bingley had a career in social services for 30 years, helping people with learning disabilities and running day centres.

After retirement, at the age of 67, he was then appointed to work with Age UK, in 2002, working with elderly and people with dementia, and running lunch clubs in the area.

The longest running lunch club he was involved with was at Sherwood Court, at Kirkby, and which he ran for around 15 years. There he worked with Willow Wood centre volunteers.

As a Secretary of Jacksdale and District Royal British Legion Mr Bingley has also helped the community working as part of a team. His efforts have seen him helping military veterans.

In retirement, he has continued to help elderly in the district including assisting ex-service personnel navigate government systems and administration processes to gain access to things like benefits.

Having served in the Armed Forces himself, he was in the RAF for four years, three and a half years years as a reserve, and spent four years with the Royal Observer Corps. He also worked as a special constable for 15 years in Ashfield.

At the age of 83, in 2018, he twisted his knee, slipping in the snow, and which curbed his more formal community activities but despite the setback, he has continued to serve the elderly in an informal capacity.

Mr Bingley, said: “I am honoured to received the award, it’s absolutely great, wonderful news, but people need to know that much of my community work particularly with the British Legion, has been to support people as part of a team.”

Sutton GP Dr Carter Singh has also been honoured in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list, receiving an MBE for services to healthcare in Nottinghamshire.