She's been the teacher, clerk, organist and she's fought crime - now it's Eileen, MBE.

AN unsung heroine from a North Yorkshire village was saluted today in the Queen's New Year's Honours List.

Pensioner Eileen Mary Wilby is not even a native of the little communities in whose service she has won the national accolade. But in the half century since she made Great and Little Ouseburn her home, she has made an indelible mark.

In her time, she has been:

Teacher, deputy head teacher and governor at the village school.

Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinator

Parish council clerk and village hall and bowling club treasurer

Organist at both churches and RAF Linton-on-Ouse.

Her efforts were today rewarded when she was awarded an MBE. Even after having shown such community spirit for all those years, it still came as a shock to Eileen to have received such an honour from the Queen.

"It's a great honour to receive an MBE and I feel so humbled that people feel well enough of me," she said.

"It's really wonderful and most unexpected. I don't know what happens from here - I'm quite in the dark about it all and have been told I'll find out more in the New Year."

Eileen moved to Great Ouseburn from Wakefield in 1953 to teach in the infant department at Great Ouseburn County Primary School. She taught for 33 years, retiring as deputy head teacher in 1986, having also served as school governor for the last 13 years of her employment. In 1955, Eileen became clerk of the parish council, where she remained for 44 years. She was also clerk of Little Ouseburn parish council for 27 years.

She was organist at the churches in Little Ouseburn and Great Ouseburn from 1960. She retired from the organ loft of Great Ouseburn church last year, but still plays regularly at Little Ouseburn. In January, Eileen was given a Distinguished Service Award from the Royal British Legion for collecting for its Poppy Appeal for 55 years.

Peter Naylor, clerk of the parish council which nominated Eileen, said: "I am absolutely delighted.

"Eileen has just been taken for granted. People don't know the amount of effort that she has put in and a lot of people will be over the moon that she has got this. It shows the great appreciation that we have for her."