MBE awarded for services to the community

"I had been asked if I would accept an award if offered one, but never thought they would actually give me an MBE," said 75-year-old Mrs Smith. "I'm delighted."

Mrs Smith has lived in Durrington all her life and has been helping out with community schemes ever since serving meals to troops as a young girl during World War II.

She served on the parish council for nearly three decades, until a stroke forced her to retire two years ago, and was involved in the Roman Catholic Church for many years.

Mrs Smith's remarkable list of community credits includes work on behalf of the Red Cross, the Poppy Appeal and the Royal National Lifeboat Association.

Mrs Smith, who has three children and four grandchildren, has also been very involved in Durrington's amateur dramatics society.

She still helps out with the bookings and other front-of-house activities for the society, which she has been with since its formation.

Mrs Smith has dedicated her life to Durrington and its community, but insists that her efforts are a labour of love and "no hardship at all".

A LIFETIME of work dedicated to the preservation of rural crafts has earned West Harnham's Peter Evans an MBE.

Mr Evans (54) is a senior policy officer with the Countryside Agency, where he has developed a nationally accepted model for the training of apprentices in crafts such as thatching and blacksmithing.

Mr Evans, who now works from home, joined the Council for Small Industries in Rural Areas in 1981 and has lived in the Salisbury area ever since.

The body he worked for has changed names a few times since, finally becoming the Countryside Agency in 1999, but his role has stayed in working to help preserve the arts of the rural crafts.

In what little spare time he does get from work, Mr Evans is an avid Salisbury City fan. He attends all home matches and was one of the 1,600 Whites fans who made the trek to Sheffield Wednesday for the FA Cup clash earlier this season.