Brian Boyd, 71, president of the Rotary Club of Furness, first launched the Royal recognition campaign in 2022. Committees usually say, ‘We’ll do it tomorrow, we’ll do it next week,’ and I thought I’d be long gone before it happened. "To see it realised now is absolutely astonishing, and everybody in the town is really thankful and grateful to the King and the authorities for pulling it together on our behalf." Mr Boyd first learned of his invitation to the VIP event in Barrow Town Square when he received a text message from the ministry. With Barrow now having royal recognition, it could help encourage more people and organisations to invest in the town.