TWO women who have spent much of their lives helping others have been honoured with British Empire Medals.

Jean Loudon has spent decades volunteering and at the age of 93 is still an active member of the Royal Voluntary Service.

Every Tuesday she can be found operating a confectionary trolley which she pushes around the wards and clinics of Stobhill Hospital.

She signed up for the army at the age of 17, played a key role in the war effort and in 1943 was commended for her devotion to duty by her commander in chief.

During the war, despite her fear of heights, she climbed onto the roof of a hotel to successfully talk down a colleague who was intent on committing suicide.

When Mrs Loudon retired she delivered meals on wheels to multi-storey buildings often walking up 18 flights of stairs when the lifts were out of action.

She only gave up when she realised many of the people she was delivering to were younger than her.

Jean continued to work with the WRVS as a coffee shop assistant in Stobhill and volunteered with Oxfam when she once chased a robber along Sauchiehall Street to apprehend him and retrieve the stolen items.

In her present role at Stobhill she helps by giving directions at the meet and greet desk and escorts frail patients to appointments in the various clinics.

Lord Provost Sadie Docherty, who presented the BEM on behalf of the Queen, said: "She will go out of her way to do anything to help any other volunteers and all hospital staff as well as the many patients who visit Stobhill.

"As part of the volunteer role with RVS, all volunteers have to carry out certain online modules and she has completed all of her modules and even been heard advising another volunteer how to log in using a user name and password.

"She is always pleasant, helpful, dependable and reliable and while she thinks of herself as just an ordinary person, everyone who knows her knows she is anything but ordinary."

Evelyn Lennie was also presented with a BEM for her services to the children's hearings systems in Glasgow over the past 19 years.

Mrs Docherty said she had demonstrated a lifelong commitment to children and young people in her professional life as a guidance teacher and assistant head teacher in Glasgow schools and has been involved with Castlemilk Youth Project and Pollokshields Heritage group.

She added: "In each of her professional and voluntary roles, colleagues have commented on her dedication, organisational skills and commitment to the interests of children and young people."