Royal Honour for Harrogate district man

Honoured by the Queen - Keith Tordoff, right, pictured with the Deputy Lord Lieutentant for North Yorkshise David Kerfoot MBE. (1712161AM20)

Keith Tordoff will be honoured after playing a pivotal role in the recent revival of Pateley Bridge's High Street and raising the town's profile to a high national level on a regular basis.

As well as leading Pateley's successful bid to be crowned winner of the Great British High Street in 2016, Keith Tordoff has also been heavily involved with efforts to retain and improve the towns bus links to the outside world in his capacity as chairman of Nidderdale Chamber of Trade.

The hard-working and good-humoured Keith, 62, would be the first to insist that recent successes have been the result of the efforts of the Dales community as a whole.

But Keith, a former police man and a regular columnist in the Nidderdale Herald, is delighted at news that he is to be awarded an MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List.

The official citation reads: "Mr Keith Graham Tordoff, 62.

Owner and Proprietor, Oldest Sweet Shop in the World, Pateley Bridge, and Chair, Nidderdale Chamber of Trade.

For services to Business and the community in Nidderdale, North YorkshireWith a passion for his town and community he has worked tirelessly to promote Pateley Bridge and the surrounding Nidderdale area.

A former police officer, upon retirement he bought the Oldest Sweet Shop in England. Over the last 25 years he has developed the business into a much loved British iconic brand, earning it a place in the Guinness World Records.

As Chair of the Nidderdale Chamber of Trade, he has played a key role in increasing membership and promoting local businesses. He worked with the local High School to build a Business Resource Centre for students, which was opened by HRH Prince Charles.

His efforts have seen the rejuvenation of Pateley Bridge’s High Street, creating jobs. Under his dynamic leadership, Pateley won the ‘Best High Street in any village in the country’ award in 2016.

Invited by the local newspaper group the Nidderdale Herald to write a weekly column on local news and events, he uses this to promote the town, businesses and community.

He has galvanised local residents, schools, businesses and churches into re-entering the town in Yorkshire in Bloom, for the first time in many years."