FORMER South Dorset MP Ian Bruce has been knighted by the Finnish Government in recognition of his services to Finland.

Mr Bruce - who lost his seat last May when Jim Knight became the first Dorset Labour MP for 40 years - had been Secretary of the All Party British Finnish Parlia-mentary Group for more than a decade.

Now he will receive the honour from Finnish Ambass-ador Pertti Salon-lainen in a ceremony at his Residence in London on February 11, next year.

Mr Bruce, of Preston Road, said today that it was "a most unexpected" honour.

He added that the origin of his links with Finland were "almost lost in the mists of time".

He said: "On a number of occasions while I was attending Parliamentary Union conferences the Finns were particularly active.

"The Finns saw themselves as being isolated from the rest of Europe which caused their MPs to pursue a very outward looking approach.

"One of my colleagues, who was chairman of the All Party British Finnish Parliamentary Group, asked if I would like to become Secretary in about 1990 and I agreed."

Mr Bruce then filled the post for 11 years during which time there was great contact with Finland.

He said: "Finnish delegations came over here on a very regular basis, but British MPs only really got funding to make visits to Finland about once every seven years.

"My wife, Hazel, and I have hosted Finnish MPs at our home and I have organised numerous policy meetings so our MPs could get together with their Finnish counterparts.

"In addition to that I have helped arrange MP visits to Finland where each MP paid their own expenses, while I have visited Finland myself four times."

Mr Bruce added that his own personal standing enabled him to accept the honour but, if he had been a minister or a diplomat, he would not have been able to accept the award.

He said: "Since I am neither a minister or a diplomat I am able to accept the knighthood. It doesn't have the same implications as a knighthood awarded in this country, but in Finland it is quite a high honour."

Mr Bruce said protocol meant that any foreign government or sovereign wishing to award an honour or medal had to contact the Foreign Office who would then ask for the Queen's approval which, in his case, has been done.

His award will see Mr Bruce become Knight, First Class, of the Order of the Lion of Finland as conferred by Finnish President Mrs Tarja Halonen.

The Order was founded in 1942 and Mr Bruce will wear the metal star with its central lion rampant on a dark red ribbon.

Mr Bruce said: "The Finnish Parliament and people are great friends of our parliament and country and I am so pleased to have been the recipient of yet another of their expressions of warmth of these links."