A FORMER headteacher of Walney School is to be honoured with an exclusive national award for his services to local history.

Stan Aspinall is set to receive The British Association for Local History Award later this year for Personal Achievement in Local History.

The 74-year-old has a personal interest in his local area, the past, and the stories to be unearthed.

So when he started posting on Facebook daily about some of the tales he was discovering, people were left asking for more and it managed to 'bring the community together', he said.

Mr Aspinall eventually collated all the information into a book: ‘Lockdown Glimpses into the History of Broughton-in-Furness’.

“It is one of only six awards given out across the UK a year,” the grandfather-of-three said.

“It is just a certificate but it is a good feeling and it brought Broughton closer together.”

The Duddon Valley Local History Group published 300 copies of the book to be sold.

Stan himself funded the publishing of a further 100 books to raise funds for St Mary’s Hospice, Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital and Lowe’s Syndrome.

The sum raised in total was £2,000.

He said the book contained stories ranging from where conscientious objectors from Broughton gathered during the First World War to local scandals in the past.

Matt Brereton, county councillor for High Furness, said: “This is in recognition of his outstanding work during lockdown in providing entertaining historical images of Broughton which generated phenomenal interest.”