Long-serving Lion John Greenaway said he was shocked to be honoured with the global Melvin Jones Fellowship by the Trowbridge Lions Club.

Mr Greenaway, who lives with wife Glayne in Ravenscroft Gardens, Trowbridge, has been a member of the club since 1979, joining five years after it received its charter.

The fellowship, named after the founder of Lions Club International, is the highest award a member can receive and acknowledges dedication to humanitarian service.

Former president Mr Greenaway, 81, who was district governor in 1997, is the first person in the Trowbridge club’s history to get the international award.

He said: “I am still recovering from the shock and to say that I was very surprised is an understatement.

“What particularly ple-ased me was it was done at a club service event and that the presentation was made by a club member; all emphasising that it was very much a club occasion.

“Trowbridge Lions has always been an important part of my life, giving me friendships and the opportunity to help other less fortunate people and I’ve had a tremendous time. I will wear my MJF pin with pride, knowing Trowbridge Lions made it possible.”

Lions International has more than 1.3 million members and 46,000 clubs in 202 countries.

Lions president Graeme Dunn said Mr Greenaway deserved the award for the huge amount of work he had done for the community of Trowbridge.