A retired primary school teacher has been made an MBE after drawing on Moray’s ancient Pictish past to attract thousands of visitors to the area.
The award for Catherine Flint Millar, 71, comes in light of her 24 years as secretary for the Burghead Headland Trust.
In that role, she helps in the running of the Burghead Visitor Centre at one of the oldest Pictish Forts in Scotland.
It is believed that ramparts were built there by Pictish settlers around 400 AD.
When Mrs Millar became secretary, there was no means of attracting people to the site or raising awareness of the history.
She aimed to open a visitor centre and her dream was realised in 2003 with assistance from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Since then, the site has been attracting around 5,000 visitors per year.
Speaking of her award in recognition of her service to the Moray community, Mrs Millar said: “The thing I am most proud about is the fact that it has put Burghead on the map, and it is now visited by people from all over the world.”
The centre takes visitors on a tour through the history of the area, beginning at the time of the Pictish Settlers and concluding with the present day.
Extensions to the visitor centre have given visitors a view of the Moray Firth.
Catherine is now retired but worked as a primary school economics teacher in a number of schools in the Moray Area, including Burghead, Applegrove and Seafield Primary Schools.
Speaking of the award she said: “I’m totally taken aback, it was a big surprise when the letter came around six weeks ago asking if I would be willing to accept the award.”
An MBE was also given to Mrs Mary Evans in the Elgin Area. She served as a board member of Dyslexia Scotland and was given the awarded for voluntary service to people with dyslexia in Scotland.