A CAISTOR man is celebrating his 90th birthday by spending Saturday doing voluntary work for Caistor In Bloom.
This week is UK Volunteers' Week and Caistor In Bloom is using it to recognise the outstanding work of Harry Minns – who marked the milestone birthday on Thursday.
Chair Deborah Barker said: "It's Volunteers' Week, a national celebration of the hundreds of thousands of volunteers across Britain and as such Caistor would like to acknowledge the work of Harry Minns from Caistor In Bloom.
"He was the driving force behind the instigation of the BigTidyUp events in Caistor and helped turn litter-strewn car-parks, churchyards and many other areas in Caistor into green havens used by the whole community."
Harry has been a volunteer in Caistor for more than 50 years – long before David Cameron's Big Society was being talked about.
He served in the Royal Navy during the Second World War and later worked as secretary at Caistor Grammar School.
He joined up with Caistor In Bloom at its inception in May 2009 and he has never missed a BigTidyUp since.
Louis King, Caistor Civic Society chairman, said: "Harry is an inspiration to us all. The BigTidyUps have ensured that Caistor is looking a brighter place.
"The bell-ringing team and the Parish Church enjoy his wealth of experience and he has been a stalwart for Christian Aid fundraising in Caistor to name only a few of his many talents.
"Caistor has truly benefited from his enthusiasm and attention to detail.
"We thought Volunteers' Week would be the perfect time to recognise his huge contribution to the community and to the charity he holds so close to his heart."
Caistor In Bloom started in May 2009, earning an impressive Silver Award after just eight weeks.
Narrowly missing Silver Gilt in 2010, the group achieved the coveted Gold award in 2011, repeating both this and winning their category in 2012 gaining 182 points – the highest in all categories within the East Midlands region.
