A COMMUNITY champion said he feels ‘honoured and flabbergasted’ to be made an honorary townsperson.

Gil Streets, 82, has been elected as an Honorary Townsperson by Beaminster Town Council in recognition of the ‘significant contributions’ he has made to the ‘life and well-being of the town.’

Mr Streets praised the community spirit in the town and thanked everyone who had helped and supported him over the years.

Born in 1934 in a small village in the Lincolnshire Wolds, he studied metallurgy at Imperial College, London, and met his wife Ngaire while working in Newcastle on Tyne.

The couple have two children, Judith and Marcus, and two teenage grandchildren, Mathilda and Gabriel.

Mr Streets was awarded the MBE for services to industrial relations while working for the Foreign Office in Gibraltar.

The couple moved to Beaminster in 1988 with the idea of early retirement. But Mr Streets soon found himself involved in community life.

He became a Beaminster Town Councillor in 1992, a county councillor in 1993 and district councillor in 1995.

As well as being a governor at Parrett and Axe School, he has been a member of the management committee of Beaminster Youth Club and helped with the start-up of Beaminster Museum.

After trying to retire again in 2005, he ended up working with the charity that took over running Beaminster Youth Club.

Mr Streets said: “It’s a great honour – I’m flabbergasted.

“I wasn’t expecting it. I found out when the town council phoned me to tell me I’d been nominated.

“I came to Beaminster in 1988 and I thought I would retire and have a very quiet life – it didn’t quite work out like that.

“I have really enjoyed being part of the community. Beaminster is a very welcoming place. I have lived here longer than anywhere in my life.

“It’s a very nice place. I have enjoyed helping within the community.

“It’s a very supportive community that’s the important thing. I have met a lot of wonderful people and worked with a lot of wonderful people.”

Mr Streets thanked everyone who had helped and supported him and thanked Caroline Payne for nominating him.

He added: “Above all, I would like to thank my wife. She’s been very helpful and understanding, she’s helped me enormously. Without her very little would have happened.”