New Year honour for Lockerbie councillor

Mrs McQueen liaised with the media on the 10th anniversary of the bombing

A councillor who became a spokeswoman for the people of Lockerbie in the wake of the 1988 aircraft bombing has become an MBE in the New Year Honours list.

Marjory McQueen, 63, was a Conservative councillor for Lockerbie on Dumfries and Galloway Council for 12 years.

Mrs McQueen became a public face for the town during the trial of Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi, who was convicted of carrying out the atrocity.

She also co-ordinated the media during the 10th anniversary of the bombing.

A total of 270 people were killed, including 11 people from Lockerbie, when Pan Am flight 103 exploded over the town in December 1988.

'Very humbling'

Mother-of-two Mrs McQueen, who served as a councillor from 1995 until 2007, said she was both "surprised" and "privileged" to be appointed an MBE.

"It's very humbling because I do realise that in every town and every village there are people like me who do things for their community and never get recognised", she added.

"Lockerbie moved on very quickly. I know it will always be synonymous with the disaster but Lockerbie has always been about community.

"My role was to liaise with the media for the 10th anniversary and make sure that the town and its people were disturbed as little as possible by the media."