A council stalwart has said he was shocked to receive an MBE for his work within the community but "could not be prouder".

Beaconsfield Town Council leader Alan Walters first moved to the area in 1993, but has never looked back in his aim to help people, he said.

He joined South Bucks District Council in 2001, two years after stepping up to represent the town council.

His MBE recognised his efforts for the Beaconsfield community, which included spearheading a campaign to raise money for the new guide hut in the town.

He said: "It’s a great honour and it was a quite a shock to the system too when the letter came through - it was something I never envisaged.

"To be given this honour for my work within the community is really incredible, I have just tried to help people where I can, but I never expected this.

"It made my Christmas, but I was also nervous too as when you receive the first letter you have to send a form back to say if you accept or not and then you don’t hear until the list is revealed.

"I kept thinking what if it didn’t arrive in the post, or did I fill the form in correctly, but it did and I could not be prouder."

The councillor was brought up in Tonyrefail, a small village in south Wales, and lived in many other parts of the UK before settling in Beaconsfield.

He said: "There were many events I look back on fondly from my time as Mayor of Beaconsfield in 2004 and as chairman of South Bucks from 2010 until 2013."

He added that he that being the chairman of the New Guide Hut HQ Fundraising Committee was a particular highlight.