A Salvation Army Centre manager has been awarded the MBE  in the New Year's Honours List for services to the homeless after dedicating 16 years of his working life to helping those less fortunate than himself.

Tony Thornton receives the award for his unstinting commitment to helping Darlington's homeless men at Tom Raine Court Centre, owned by SAHA, and managed by the Salvation Army, where his own family home forms part of the 30-bed complex.

Tony is  48 and was born in Darlington, beginning his career with The Salvation Army at Tom Raine Court in the town in 1991 and rising through the ranks to become Centre Manager six years ago.

During that time Tony has seen thousands of men over the age of 18 pass through the doors of Tom Raine Court  completing a comprehensive resettlement programme to find more permanent homes of their own.

Tony came to his new career after studying Geology at university and working as a manager at WH Smith. He went on to gain a degree in Health and Social Care and management qualifications, all of which enabled him to guide Tom Raine Court to Investors in People status in 2006.

Tony said of his MBE: "I am very humbled to receive the MBE. I want to thank everyone who is associated with the centre and to our residents who live within Tom Raine Court; as a Roman Catholic I thank my local parish of St Augustine's, for their prayers and support as a Eucharistic Minister; I also want to thank the Salvation Army whose mission and ethos I support and encourage within the centre."

Tony added: "We have a great staff team at Tom Raine Court. It is always about 'team work' and a big 'thank you' goes to the management team, Alison, June and Major Pauline, and to the rest of the staff team, without whom Tom Raine Court would not be the centre of excellence it is today."

"We are all close to homelessness - we see many people who for many reasons end in homelessness - marriage breakdown, debt, the 'credit crunch' and addictions; it could be any of us at any time."