Hartlepool barber given award by Lord Lieutenant of County Durham Sue Snowdon

Ronnie Eve, owner of The Barber Shop, in Owton Manor Lane, Hartlepool, received the military service award from the Lord Lieutenant of County Durham, Sue Snowdon, for his dedication to the region’s army cadets over the past seven years.

Ronnie, a Sergeant Major in the Cleveland Army Cadets Force, looks after 160 cadets from across Cleveland in his company alone.

Ronnie served in the army reserves in Hartlepool – in the 7th Battalion of the Light Infantry – for three years before joining the cadets in 2017.

He initially joined the cadets because he wanted to “give something back” to the community while really enjoying the work that he does.

Ronnie, 53, said: “It was nice to receive something, and to receive it in public. It is nice to be recognised.”

The Lord Lieutenant presented the award to Ronnie at an award’s ceremony on Tuesday, March 5, at The New Armoury, in Easington Road, Hartlepool.

Speaking about his nomination, he said: “I was surprised to be fair. I received a letter out of nowhere and it explained everything.”

But Ronnie’s dedication to the military community does not stop there.

In the days leading up to Remembrance Sunday, on November 11, Ronnie gives free haircuts to service men and women and veterans who walk through his door.

Speaking about this gesture, he said: “I wanted to give something back to servicemen and women, naval officers and even police and firemen – to everyone who put their lives on the line for their country.

“So many of them don't have jobs and live on the streets.

"It’s no way to treat the people that fought for our country – they should be treated better.”

Ronnie, who has been running The Barber Shop for 18 years, also regularly collects food parcels that are then delivered to veterans being homed by the Royal British Legion.

He also donates to the Light Infantry Association and the Green Howards Association every year.