King's Birthday Honours: BEM for Carnmoney woman Lorraine
A Newtownabbey woman has been awarded a BEM in the King’s Birthday Honours list for services to employment relations in Northern Ireland.
Administrative officer Lorraine Armstrong is the longest serving member of staff at the Labour Relations Agency, having joined the organisation almost 50 years ago.
Originally from East Belfast, Lorraine moved to Carnmoney after marrying her husband Steven in 1988.
She first started with the LRA in September 1978 after attending Rupert Stanley College and working on Saturdays at British Home Stores. “My duties at the Agency at first was as a typist in the typing pool,” said Lorraine. “After a couple of years I was promoted to a specialist typist working on the word processors and eventually moving on to the PCs that were starting to enter into the office environment.”
Along with navigating changes in technology, Lorraine’s role also evolved over the years. "When I started working at the LRA we were based on the 16th floor of Windsor House (now Grand Central Hotel); [the Agency] then moved to Gordon Street in 2001,” she added. “I was promoted to Administrative Officer which involved supporting the Agency’s advisory team, working in the print room, finance section, library and the individual conciliation section.
“In 2022, the LRA moved to James House at the old Gasworks site, into an open plan office which was a tremendous change from the small multi-office environment I started in; now all staff are out in the open working together.”
News of her Honour came during an already “exciting” year for Lorraine, who became a grandmother for the first time in May and will be welcoming a second grandchild in August. “I was completely shocked and amazed that I had been chosen for an award - after all, I was just doing the job I loved along with the loveliest people, which was reward in itself,” the 64-year-old said.
“I’m so proud to have been awarded the BEM and my only additional wish would have been for my mum and dad to have been alive to see it; I’m sure they would have been so proud of me.”
Mark McAllister, Chief Executive at the Labour Relations Agency said: “We are thrilled for Lorraine to have been named in the Birthday Honours; it is very well deserved. Lorraine is the LRA’s longest serving member of staff, having joined the Agency in 1978, just two years after it was established.”
The accomplishment is made even more incredible considering that Lorraine, who lost her hearing at 18 months old, spent her first 15 years at the Agency without the aid of technology such as textphones, fire alarm pagers and mobile phones. “Her life and career have been inspirational to her friends and colleagues as she navigated the challenges of customer-facing roles in a predominantly hearing world,” Mark added.
"It is also only in recent years that sign language interpreters have been available to support Lorraine during meetings and events. Lorraine has ensured there is much greater awareness, patience and respect for colleagues and customers with hearing loss, and the Agency is delighted that her leadership and accomplishments have been recognised in this way. The Chair and Board of the LRA are looking forward to congratulating Lorraine personally and formally recognising her achievement.”