FORMER secretary of the Border Union Agricultural Society, Ron Wilson, was presented with his MBE last week at Buckingham Palace.

The 70-year-old was included in the Queen's Honours for 'Services to Agriculture and the Community in South of Scotland and North Northumberland'.

Accompanied by his wife, Joan, daughter, Julia, and son, Robert, Ron was presented with his medal by Her Majesty.

He told us: "Visiting the palace was an experience of a lifetime.

"There were 59 recipients of all sorts of awards from all sorts of different parts of the country and for all sorts of different reasons - I hasten to add that I was the only person related to agriculture."

Mr Wilson retired from Springwood Park last year after two decades of helping transform the Border Union Agricultural Society.

Supported by his wife Joan and a small office team, Ron oversaw the development of the Kelso site from a show field with two basic sheds and a grandstand, to a major showground and exhibition venue, complete with a new hall that now hosts many major events.

Ron also oversaw the organisation of the four core events in the Society’s calendar - the annual Border Union Show, the Ram Sales, the Championship Dog Show and the highly successful Schools Countryside Day.

Championed by Ron and Joan, the schools initiative was originally intended as a one-off event to celebrate the Society’s bicentenary in 2013.

It has now become one of its flagship annual events and has welcomed over 6,500 Primary 5 children from across the region to Springwood Park for a special day of activities that teach them about agriculture, rural life and the environment.