Bill Turnbull, 65, who lives in Great North Road with his wife Janet, formed the Network Russia Scout Fellowship in 1992 and has been involved with scouting since the early 1960’s. His love of scouting began when he met Janet, who was already a cub scout leader, and accompanied her on a camp on one of their first dates.

Mr Turnbull, a former production engineer who now works part-time for his brother-in-law’s design company, founded Network Russia in the early 1990s when scout leaders from the country came to the UK to train following the fall of Communism. He has now visited Russia 17 times, and puts his love of the country down to its “caring and generous” people.

He was told of his nomination in a letter from the Prime Minister in November, but says he was shocked to discover he had actually been chosen by Her Majesty.

Mr Turnbull, a former production engineer at Luton company SKF said: “It was a complete and utter surprise. I was gobsmacked. I was very pleased, it’s not just me but scouting as a whole that is being recognised.”

His contribution to international scouting began in the early 1970’s when his troop, 6th Welwyn Garden City, linked up with scouts in Uganda. He said: “We communicated by letter and eventually we got them to come over in 1973. There were six of them who came for six weeks, it was a magic moment. Unfortunately we never got to go over there because Idi Amin took over that year.”

Network Russia came about when Russian scout leaders training at the Gilwell Park scouting centre in Essex visited 6th Welwyn Garden City. Mr Turnbull said: “We’ve now got about 70 or 80 members from all over the country and we meet up twice a year in incredible places. We’re there to support and help develop the scout movement in Russia, which is no easy task as it’s such a vast country.”

This year members of the fellowship are visiting an orphanage in Tula, 165km south of Moscow, to help carry out renovations. That trip will take place shortly after a home turf adventure for Mr Turnbull, a 190 mile coast-to-coast walk from St Bees Head to Robin Hood Bay with his son and two grandsons to raise money for the NSPCC and a charity that helps street children in Russia.

For more information about Network Russia go to www.networkrussia.org.uk