A PENSIONER who has devoted much of her life to championing mental health issues has been awarded the MBE in the New Year Honours list.

Mrs Lily Reid (78), of Bond Street, Bury - who was the boroughs first-ever Woman of the Year in 1998 - has received the honour for her services to the community.

The mother-of-two runs several organisations for those suffering with mental health illnesses and their carers. She said she was "overwhelmed" at being chosen for the MBE.

"This is a very prestigious award. I feel honoured and very, very humble."

Born and educated in Bury and one of seven children, Mrs Reid left school at the age of 14 and three years later became a student mental health nurse at a hospital in Scotland. Three years later she returned to Bury and worked on a knitwear stall on Bury Market for 12 years. But when one of her two sons, Christopher, became ill at the age of 16 she gave up work to look after him. She recalled: "By the time he was 18, we knew something was seriously wrong. In those days, you werent given a diagnosis and we waited for about four years before we got a proper one."

It was in 1984 when her son started going to Making Space, a group for people suffering from mental illnesses, that she really got involved with the charity. That link continued up until three years ago. She also worked with the Bury and District Disabled Advisory Council (BADDAC), a charity for people with learning disabilities.

In 1998, Mrs Reid launched Bury Carers Group Mental Health, a support group for those suffering severe and enduring mental illness and their carers. The group runs a number of social functions. Three years ago, she established another support group catering for mental health sufferers, Just Friends. Both organisations have a combined membership of 50 and meet regularly at the Parsons Lane Day Centre in Bury.

Mrs Reid is also involved in a carers liaison committee and over a number of years has given numerous mental health presentations to social services and medical staff. In 2003, she became honorary president of Bury-based care group Crossroads which she helped to found. She took up the position after retiring from the board of trustees which she had been a member of since Crossroads was established in 1990. She is also a regional reference group member of mental health charity Rethink.

Commenting on her MBE, she said: "I would like to say thanks to those who nominated me. I also want to say that I will accept this award on behalf of carers and relatives of those with severe mental illness. I was blown away when I was first told a month ago about the honour. Since then, Id done my best to keep it to myself."