Gran receives Rotary award

Honour for dedicated service

An Airdrie woman has been recognised for her dedication and service to Rotary.

Craigneuk grandmother Janette Horn, a member of Coatbridge, Airdrie and Monkands Rotary Club, has received the Medal Scot award for her many years of outstanding work to the Rotary and local community.

A retired community worker, Janette has six granddaughters and one grandson, as well as a great-grandson.

She told the Advertiser: “I was quite amazed that the Rotary chose me for this honour as there were other people who were more worthy of it.

“I was actually asked to be the next president of the Rotary club, but I’m disabled so I had to turn it down. They were very disappointed.”

Janette’s disability doesn’t “hold her back” and she is also the chair of a creative writing group.

“My body might not let me, but by mind does,” she quipped.

Janette, who turns 71 next month, devotes a lot of her time to organising charity events on behalf of Rotary.

And last year she raised £1680 to fund the organisation’s Christmas charity pensioners’ lunch, which was held in the Tudor Hotel.

Janette explained: “The Christmas lunch is for people who are alone over the festive season.

“It’s a pilot project and has only been running for the past two years.

“Last time drama students from Glasgow came along and performed the Lion King.

“And schoolchildren from Victoria Primary sang Christmas carols. It was a great day.”

Janette is a regular contributor to the Advertiser’s poet’s corner feature and has penned the poignant tribute to the Stanrigg Pit disaster centenery on this page.

She is also an accomplished writer, jointly penning a poignant historical recollection of Monklands soldiers’ tales called Echoes of War with fellow Rotarian Iain Johnston.

The book commemorates the centenary of the First World War and sales have raised £1800 for veterans’ charity Erskine Hospital.

Award winner Janette Horn with the Medal Scot shield