The president of a local football club has been recognised for over 40 years of dedicated service to the team.

Jim Troughton first got involved with Kendal-based Wattsfield FC in 1983 and was presented the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Westmorland County FA's Grassroots Awards earlier this month.

A spokesperson from the County FA commented: "We would like to congratulate Jim who has given his time as a dedicated volunteer to Wattsfield over the years and has supported the development of many players in the local community."

The Westmorland Gazette: Jim (centre) showing off one of the club's trophiesJim (centre) showing off one of the club's trophies (Image: Westmorland County FA)

Wattsfield Youth FC also shared their congratulations to Jim after it was announced that he was the winner on May 16.

It all started 41 years ago when his son joined the club's Under-10's side.

Three years later, he would become a coach with Wattsfield, working alongside Peter McDonnell before becoming the team manager in 1987.

The Westmorland Gazette: Jim has been involved with the club for over 40 yearsJim has been involved with the club for over 40 years (Image: Westmorland County FA)

From there, he managed this team up until the under-16 level and then went on to support other club coaches with their own teams.

His commitment to the club has even stemmed away from the football pitch, particularly over the last three decades.

In 1995, Jim became chairperson for Wattsfield which was a role he held until 2017, when he became President of the club.

The Westmorland Gazette: Jim was a coach and manager before becoming Chairperson and President of WattsfieldJim was a coach and manager before becoming Chairperson and President of Wattsfield (Image: Westmorland County FA)

Even after so many years of working behind the scenes, Jim continues to attend games regularly.

He has also been a sponsor for the Westmorland County FA and for the Kent Valley Junior Football League, which happened to be named as the 'League of the Year' at the Grassroots Awards.

The awards ceremony, hosted at the Crooklands Hotel, was a chance for people to let their hair down after a tiring season.

The Westmorland Gazette: The award recognised Jim's dedication to the clubThe award recognised Jim's dedication to the club (Image: Westmorland County FA)

The Westmorland County FA added: "Thank you to everyone who attended our Grassroots Awards Evening.

"It was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the hard work and dedication of all those involved in grassroots football in Westmorland."