AN Oswaldtwistle man has been honoured after raising a record amount of money for charity on behalf of his local Rotary Club.

Ken Freeman, of Poplar Close, was named the Rotary Club of Church and Oswaldtwistle’s Rotarian of the Year and presented with a trophy after helping to raise over £13,000 in the last 12 months.

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The cash was raised through events including a charity walk, a Santa’s sleigh which toured Hyndburn at Christmas, bag packing at supermarkets, barbecues, and more.

Mr Freeman, 66, said: “It’s a nice thank you but as I said to the club, I led this but it’s down to the support of the fundraising committee and all the members.

“We are not a big club with only 28 members, so to raise over £1,000 a month is good going.”

Mr Freeman, who has lived in Oswaldtwistle since he was six-months-old, was schooled at West End, and St Paul’s, before moving on to St Christopher’s when he was 11.

He began his working life as a rookie electrician before moving into sales. He later helped to launch Dewsbury-based AMK Automotive, where he was a sales director before his retirement in 2011.

Mr Freeman said: “I had to do something with my time, and what better way than giving something back to the local area?

“I walked through the Rotary Club’s doors and was welcomed with open arms.

“At the end of the day, I could go and knock a ball around and do a lot of things, but life has been good to me and my family and I wanted to give something back.

“I get so much pleasure out of helping other people. I enjoy doing it.” And Mr Freeman, who has been married to his wife Anne for 46 years, has no plans to step down yet, having just agreed to be the club’s fundraising chairman for the next year.

He said: “I also want to thank the residents of Church and Oswaldtwistle because they are great. It has been a difficult time for a lot, but they always find 50p or £1 to support us.”

Club president Ian McTurk said: “In the short time Ken has been a Rotarian, he has achieved a remarkably high level of performance, especially in the area of raising much needed funds, which is distributed to local and national charities.

“The club is very proud of Ken, who has made such a significant contribution to the Rotary movement.”