A long-serving parish councillor, church caretaker and local historian has been commemorated after a bench was dedicated to her memory.

Joyce Lanfear was a parish councillor for North Bradley for 25 years, and wrote a book about the parish's history before she died last October at the age of 65.

On Sunday, a bench bought by the parish council and placed on the green in Oak Drive was dedicated to Mrs Lanfear in a service performed by North Bradley's Baptist Church minister Ben Midgley.

North Bradley Parish Council clerk, Anne Bass, said: "Joyce contributed a lot to the council and was thought a lot of in the village.

“The council conferred with her husband James and decided to buy a bench and set it on the green to commemorate her. Her friends and family were there and it was a very nice service."”

As well as being on the parish council, Mrs Lanfear had been a caretaker at the church for more than a decade.

Her husband of 47 years, James, has now taken over that responsibility.

Mr Lanfear said he was pleased to see his wife’s contribution to the village recognised.

"It was very well attended and there was quite a crowd there. I was very pleased to see it and the service was nice. Everyone in the village knew her."

Mr Lanfear is now hoping to be able to finish off a second book about the parish that his wife had nearly completed at the time of her death.