Two men from Bury have been recognised in the Queen's Birthday Honours list for the crucial work they did during the Covid-19 pandemic.
During the first three months of the crisis, Peter Harding, a 40-year-old senior delivery manager at telecoms firm Talk Talk, oversaw the installation and upgrade of 1,200 internet and phone connections at places critical to the country's well-being.
It came at a time when the country's ability to communicate with each other was more crucial than ever.
Working long hours and on-call 24/7 Peter, of Whitefield, and his team ensured Nightingale Hospitals, 188 food warehouses, 81 GP surgeries, 222 schools and 41 NHS Care Homes had the bandwidth they needed to cope with the increased demand on their communications networks.
He will now be awarded an MBE for services to Critical National Infrastructure during the Covid-19 response
Peter said: "As weird as it sounds I have enjoyed it.
"I've been lucky - a lot of people haven't been able to work - but me and my team have been really busy doing something that is beneficial.
"Normally our job is getting a circuit in for a customer who wants it quickly, but this has the added benefit of being helping the country.
"We had to get a lot of extra people in to help and we were working much longer hours than normal, but it was just 'This needs doing, let's get it done'.
"A lot of people put in a lot of effort.
"It does give you warm, fuzzy feeling. knowing that we're helping at a time like this.
"But I just see it as my job. It's nice getting the reward, but it's not something I coveted and it's very much a surprise.
NHS Improvement's PPM strategy and implementation lead Vajid Mahmood, of Bury, will also be awarded a BEM (British Empire Medal) for services to the NHS during Covid-19.
