A CHARITY hero and a top churchwoman have spoken of their pride after being named in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list.

Lochwinnoch man John Delaney, who has raised more than £500,000 for the Teenage Cancer Trust (TCT), is to receive a MBE.

Meanwhile, the Very Reverend Dr Lorna Hood, who lives in Paisley and worked at Renfrew North Parish Church for 37 years, gets an OBE for her “exceptional and long service to the Church of Scotland promoting tolerance and understanding” through founding the Scottish board of the Remembering Srebrenica charity.

Mr Delaney’s journey with the TCT began when his 14-year-old son Andrew was diagnosed with cancer after doctors found a tumour in his spinal cord.

Andrew was also left paralysed from the chest down when a biopsy operation went wrong.

Tragically, he died at the age of 16, with his dad becoming “brutally aware” that care facilities for teenagers with cancer were not good enough.

Since then, Mr Delaney’s fundraising efforts have included cycling the length of Ireland, as well as heading south for the Boston Marathon, which involves rowing 31 miles from Lincoln to Boston.

Thanks to him, there are now two TCT units in Scotland.

Mr Delaney said: “I am absolutely gobsmacked to get an MBE.

“This piece of paper came through the door and I was about to bin it as I get a lot of junk but then I read it again and I thought it mustn’t be real.

“I am chuffed because it’s great for the charity to get some publicity and it’s a chance for me to thank the people of Lochwinnoch for their support.”

Dr Hood, who stepped down from her role at Renfrew North Church last October, is dedicating her OBE to the Mothers of Srebrenica organisation and survivors of the 1995 Bosnian massacre.

She said: “I am slightly embarrassed but it is an honour and a privilege.

“It is an immense privilege to be able to take people out to Srebrenica to meet with survivors and hear their stories.

“It is so important that we share them in Scotland to tackle hatred and intolerance.”

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is among those to pay tribute to Dr Hood.

She said: “After a long and distinguished career in the service of others, this OBE is thoroughly deserved.”