MBE honour for RSPCA

RSPCA chief inspector Lee Hopgood is to be appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the Queen's birthday honours this year, for his outstanding services to animal welfare.

The announcement follows 14 years of remarkable work for the charity, and coincides with the publication yesterday of the Queen's Birthday Honours List.

"I am absolutely delighted to be awarded this honour by Her Majesty the Queen," said Lee Hopgood. "I was speechless when I received the news, and for those that know me that's a feat in itself!"

Lee (40), chief inspector for Gloucestershire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire, headed up the RSPCA's regional ground response to last year's summer floods.

He and his officers worked closely with the emergency services to rescue both needy animals and people and to deliver fresh water to farmers, boarding kennels and smallholdings cut off from the mains supply by the floods.