A man who was awarded an MBE for his work in helping to retrain redundant Dudley steel workers from his Brierley Hill base has died.

Dennis Mitchell was a true ‘man of steel’ and left a lasting impression among many in the Black Country steel industry both before and after its collapse in the 1980s.

He ran the Round Oak Steel Works at Brierley Hill for many years until it closed in 1983.

He then set up a training company called Midlands Oak Skills and Technology (MOST) to re-skill and retrain former steelmen.

For his services to training in the West Midlands he was awarded an MBE in 1998.

Dennis died peacefully at The Springs Care Home, Malvern, at the age of 92.

Born in Feltham, Middlesex, he emigrated to Canada after graduating from the Royal School of Mines at Imperial College London.

He married his sweetheart Vera there and then returned to the UK in 1955, settling in Rotherham, before the family moved to Hagley in 1967.

He was Technical Director for Round Oak Steel Works from 1967 – 73; Director and General Works Manager 1973-76; and Managing Director 1976-1983.

He and his wife moved to Pembrokeshire and then in 2007 they made their home in Ledbury. Dennis leaves his wife Vera, two daughters and a son, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.