Blyton and Laughton school's 'wood man' is ‘proud’ of King’s birthday honour

Lawrence Langton, aged 61, started his career in forestry in 1978 working as part of a gang in Laughton Forest and now works as a craftsman for Forestry England.

He has been instrumental in involving Blyton cum Laughton CE Primary School to plant trees in Laughton woods to create the Millennium Wood in 2000 and imparting his passion for forestry, he helped the school plant trees on its sites in Blyton and Laughton as part of both local and national schemes.

Always supporting their visits to Laughton woods he organised educational activities with the Rangers, often giving up his holiday to act as a volunteer on the visit as well as teaching the children about the woods, allowing them to explore and understand how the forests are managed, has inspired them to respect nature and to take that respect into the future.

In recent years, he has supported the school by making and supplying them with wooden-crafted resources such as Harry Potter brooms, bird tables, reading signposts, tree trunks for sitting on in outdoor spaces and thrones for story time.

He is known to their current headteacher as “the wood man”, while the previous headteacher called him a “true friend of the school”.

Lawrence said: “I was completely shocked when the letter arrived saying I had the honour.

“I have been working in forestry since 1978 and love being a craftsperson at Forestry England. I’ve seen many changes over the years and had the pleasure of working with some great people in the forests as well as in the local community.

“I’m very proud to get the BEM and want to thank everyone for their support.”

He professionally mentors apprentices and volunteers in the local community so schoolchildren can learn about and care for trees and forests.

His dedication, knowledge and skills have been shared far and wide, so that many people across the forestry sector will be planting and managing woods and forests that will thrive for generations to come.