OBE award delight for county teacher

One of Shropshire's best-known teachers became lost of words when he collected his OBE from the Queen.

Ryan Jervis, headteacher at Adcote School, travelled to Buckingham Palace on Tuesday to receive the award for services to education. Mr Jervis was headteacher at the Lakelands School Sports & Language College in Ellesmere for 12 years before taking over at Adcote last September.

He travelled to London to receive the accolade with his wife Jane, daughter Clare and son Mark.

Mr Jervis today described the experience as "special".He said: "It was wonderful.

"I was delighted that it was the Queen who presented it to me as it made it very special.

"Because we stayed across the road in a hotel we were one of the first there.

"They were able to sit on the very front row and for them it was particularly memorable.

"They sat right in front of the Queen as she made presentations.

"It was a wonderful couple of hours in our lives."

Mr Jervis began his teaching career in 1970 at Meole Brace School in Shrewsbury and has also taught in Church Stretton and Oswestry.

He said that at the presentation he spoke to newsreader George Alagiah who told him he became "tongue-tied" when he met the Queen.

Mr Jervis, 58, from Shrewsbury, said he also became lost for words when he was presented to the Queen.

He added: "When you find yourself standing in front of the most famous face on the planet you do forget what you're saying and doing.

"She was very nice and was a wonderful person. I'm very fortunate that I have got this on the back of the efforts and hard work of an awful lot of people to whom I'm very grateful.

"It came as a total shock and a wonderful surprise to me.

"To have gone through that ceremony was absolutely wonderful."