A community champion has been honoured for his volunteer work in Lyme Regis.

Chris Boothroyd, the driving force behind the voluntary group which ran the Jubilee Pavilion on Marine Parade,  has received a letter of thanks and a town plaque from the Mayor of Lyme Regis, Cllr David Sarson.

Mr Boothroyd has moved away from Dorset to be closer to his family in the Wirral, but received the letter hand-delivered by town clerk John Wright, who was visiting the area.

Following a major £1 million development of the Marine Parade shelters in Lyme in 2012, Mr Boothroyd set up The Shelters Users Representative Forum (SURF) as a core group representing major users of the seafront facility, which was run by a team of volunteers.

He, virtually single-handedly, raised in excess of £200,000 to equip the Jubilee Pavilion, including major donations from a number of bodies and individuals in memory of family members who loved Lyme Regis.

The idea of honouring Mr Boothroyd came from the town council’s newest member, former journalist, Cllr Philip Evans MBE.

He said: “I am very much in favour of honouring the citizens of Lyme who go that extra mile in working for the town in a voluntary capacity.

“I believe Chis Boothroyd should be recognised for all he has done for the town. Chris raised in excess of £200,000 to equip the Jubilee Pavilion which involved many hundreds of hours work.

“He then organised and supervised the team of volunteers which manned the now defunct information point in the Jubilee Pavilion.

“Chris served the town in many other capacities over the years, particularly in the early days of Lyme Forward. Since then, he has played a crucial role in the establishment of the Patients’ Participation Group at the Lyme Regis Medical Centre.

“His loss to the town will be felt in many quarters and I believe he deserves some recognition from the town he loves and has served so well over many years.”

Cllr Sarson added: “Chris’ work for Lyme made a huge difference in so many ways and I was delighted to recognise his achievements over so many years.”

The Jubilee Pavilion will return as a welcome point for visitors and community venue this coming Spring, manned by volunteers and organised by town crier Alan Vian.