AN MBE award is just the business for Whitefield marketing consultant Sidney Wander.

Mr Wander's accolade was announced in the New Year's Honours list for services to the community in Manchester.

Married to June, Mr Wander has four children and two grandchildren and is now semi-retired, working as a marketing consultant from his home off Ringley Road.

He has a firm grounding in the business world, having worked in the family wholesale business, dealing in hardware and fancy goods, and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing.

Mr Wander is a Paul Harris Fellow of Rotary International and a past president of the Rotary Club of Manchester Exchange.

For more than 20 years Mr Wander has helped to raise thousands of pounds for St Ann's Hospice in Little Hulton as the honorary chairman of the fundraising group.

This dedicated fundraising group has enabled the purchase of many patient amenities, including special beds, wheelchairs, a new shower room and bathroom.

He is honorary joint chairman of the hospital broadcasting service at North Manchester General Hospital and Hope Hospital, Salford, and is a founder member of the original Manchester Fundraising Committee of the British Empire Cancer Campaign.

In addition, Mr Wander is honorary joint secretary of the Manchester Council of Christians and Jews and several years ago was press and publicity officer for the Manchester Maccabi Theatre Group and the Jewish Theatre Group.

Mr Wander said of the award: "I was very, very surprised and delighted. I don't like to shout about things and this is not just for me but for everybody else who has raised money for St Anns Hospice. It was just one of those things that I got into fundraising for charity, as I thought I should be doing something more."

Mr Wander is looking forward to accepting his MBE from the Queen later this year.