A MAN from Southwick has been given a personal thank you from Prince Charles for his work for the Duchy of Cornwall estate in the New Year's Honours list.

Tom McCaw 56, land steward for the Duchy, manages around 30,000 hectares of land in Wiltshire, Gloucester-shire, Dorset, and Somerset for the Prince and has been awarded the Member of the Victorian Order (MVO).

Royal Victorian Orders were established in the late 1800s when Queen Victoria wanted to set up a way of saying a personal thank you to people who had worked for the royal family.

Mr McCaw said: "This award is more special, I think, than some of the other honours because it has been given to me by my employers, so it's very personal.

"It has been a great honour to work for the Duchy for 27 years and being witness to all the changes that have taken place in the world of agriculture.

"Running the Duchy estates is very much a team effort by everyone in and out of the office and I am thrilled."

From the Duchy office at Newton St Loe, near Bath, he travels the West Country visiting Duchy estates and farms.

He said: "As a land steward I have seen how farming has changed over the last 20 years or so.

"For many of the farmers on Duchy farms, change is difficult to cope with and I suppose the biggest challenges in my job are dealing with those changes in the countryside while trying to make sure our work reflects the Prince's interests and plans for the future."

Wife Carol, daughter Kirsty and son Chris are likely to be invited along when the MVO is presented.

Mr McCaw said: "In a way it would be just as special if the Prince gave me the MVO on the day and not the Queen because it would be nice to see the boss."