Among the New Year honours for local people is an MBE awarded to Arthur Frederick Lewis of Pensilva, known to all as Joe, given for his services to the village's Century Square and Millennium House project. He was serving on the parish council when the idea for the scheme was put forward in l992/93 and later followed it through when a feasibility study was organised and the community became involved.

Mr Lewis said that he was aware at the time that Lottery money and Euro 5b money were in the offing - eventually £893,000 being obtained from the Millennium Commission, £600,000 from Europe, £45-6,000 through the Rural Development Commission, £30,000 from the parish council, £8,000 from the county council and £2,000 from Caradon. The finished project houses an IT centre with six computers and the opportunity to use the Internet; various offices; a function room with bar and kitchen; a main sports hall which can be used for five-a-side football for juniors as well as badminton, netball and volleyball; changing rooms for women and men; a fitness centre with exercise machines; a small committee room; an art and craft room and much more. A balcony also overlooks the sports field.

Mr Lewis, who is in a wheelchair following an accident in which a tree blew down on him, said that Century Square/Mi-llennium House opened in October l998, effectively on time. It is now on the brink of viability.

He moved to the area after retiring from the civil service. At one time, while working for the meteorological office, he spent four winters and six summers in the Antarctic region. He was parish council chairman from l995-99.

Christina Anne Jefferis, better known as Tina, has been rewarded for her fund-raising services to Mount Edgcumbe Hospice with an MBE. Tina, 70, who is married with two sons and four grandchildren, began fund-raising in Downderry for the Hospice 26 years ago, only a year or so after the initial idea for such a facility was put forward. Since then the Downderry fund-raising group has gone from strength to strength, and regularly holds baked potato lunches in the winter in the village's Working Men's Institute. Tina herself, who has lived in Downderry for more than 30 years, was county chairman for the voluntary fund-raisers of the Hospice for five years, retiring last year. She said that she and her family had a wonderful Christmas and New Year. She kept quiet about the honours list until just before everyone was due to return home - and then they opened the champagne!

Tina is also involved in many other local organisations, such as the WI and Residents' Association, and drives the community bus.

Senior civil servant, Frederick John Alford Warne, who was educated at Pensilva school and Liskeard grammar school, has been given a CB. He now lives in London, but many of his family still live near Pensilva, his sister Muriel Gundry residing in Liskeard. He played football and cricket locally, as well as playing cornet in St Pinnock silver band, and for the school band. Aged 55 he received the CB for services to the Home Office.

The Leader of the Liberal Democrats on Cornwall county council, Doris Ansari, was given an OBE for services to the community, while Devon and Cornwall chief constable, John Evans, has been awarded a knighthood. He said: 'From a professional perspective it recognises the achievements of this force which is at the cutting edge of policing initiatives.'

David Jeffery, who grew up during the war at Cremyll and Millbrook, and who is the recently retired chief executive of the Port of London authority, has received the CBE for services to the UK's ports industry.