A MAN who has shone a light on his town’s rich history and given residents the skills to discover and preserve this history has been honoured for his work.

Martin Railton, from Appleby, has been awarded a British Empire Medal (BEM) in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for his services to the community - mainly through his work with the Appleby Archaeology Group (AAG), which he established 21 years ago.

As a founding member, the 55-year-old enlisted local volunteers who were passionate about discovering and preserving the historic charms of Appleby.

He coordinated other volunteers, chaired the committee and began sharing his knowledge and skills, and providing training opportunities for group members, to develop their archaeology awareness.

And, through the creation of AAG, he has provided opportunities for communities to discover how past people and civilisations have shaped the Cumbrian landscape, from prehistoric times to the more recent past.

“I feel very honoured to have been awarded the British Empire Medal and I am grateful to all those who have helped me over the years to achieve so much with the local community in Appleby,” he said.

“I have always cared passionately about conserving both the natural and historic environment.

“I feel privileged to live in Cumbria and to have had the opportunity to bring people together to share common goals and interests in exploring the past.

“Much of my work has been going on behind the scenes so I am delighted to have been given this honour.”

Mr Railton has undertaken a number of voluntary roles, from inaugural chair to committee member, research officer and also social media lead.

He has supported the group to deliver three highly successful community conferences hosted in Appleby Grammar School and used his personable relationships with others to share the findings from community-led excavations, with wider audiences by publishing and speaking at events and conferences.

In 2016 he was instrumental in AAG securing its first grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to deliver a community archaeology project called, 'Dig Appleby Breaking the Ground'.

The project developed a network of local volunteers who gained new skills and experiences in a wide range of research activities including palaeography, survey, archaeological excavation and finds identification and recording.

Since AAG was formed, hundreds of individuals have benefitted from these archaeology projects.

Appleby has 147 listed buildings within one square mile and from April 2017 he has also voluntarily supported Eden Council's Heritage Action Zone (HAZ) project, working closely with Eden District Council's HAZ project officer to use the town's built and written history to promote itself as a place to live and visit.