THE former chairman of Oxford Gang Show and a long-term scout leader has been made MBE.

Mike Stanley, 69, of Long Close, Headington in Oxford, has been involved in the Scout movement for around 60 years, as a cub, scout, then scout leader, then eventually group leader.

Mr Stanley was awarded the prestigious honour to recognise three things; his leadership of the 10th Oxford Scouts in Marston for more than 30 years, running a narrowboat for handicapped and special needs adults and children, which he has done for the past 15 years, and setting up Scouting links in Russia.

He said: "My first thought was wondering who on earth put it in. You do feel proud and honoured but you don't do it to win awards.

"At the end of the day when you get something like this, it's great."

He added: "It was a big surprise. Other people have helped so much, there are so many people who I have worked with on all these things. You do use other people's skills all the time."

Mr Stanley was chairman of Oxford Gang Show, which sees hundreds of Scouts, Cubs and Guides take to the stage for a show-stopping performance, until two years ago and he has also recently stepped down as a group leader for Scouts, although he is still involved in some Oxfordshire-based Scouting activities.

It will not be the first time that Mr Stanley, has met the Queen. They met her and then Russian President Mikhail Gorbachev in Red Square, Moscow, Russia, in 1994 as part of a project to restart Scouting in Russia.

Mr Stanley, who has four children and seven grandchildren, also works with Sir Steven Redgrave's Children's Charity and earlier this year organised a fund-raising charity night in aid of Oxford Children's Hospital Campaign.

He said he hoped to arrange another fund-raising event for the charity later this year.

Mr Stanley continues to be instrumental in the links between Scouts in the UK and in Russia.

As part of the Russian Scouting projects he will be bringing three Russian Scouts to the Scout campsite at Youlbury shortly and a further 125 are visiting Oxfordshire in August.

The MBE was awarded for services to Scouting in England and Russia and to the community in Oxford.