A FORMER chairman of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Committee has died at the age of 93.

Colonel Philip van Straubenzee, who farmed at East Witton in Wensleydale, became a councillor on the former North Riding Country Council (later to become North Yorkshire County Council) in 1970 and joined the national park committee before it separated from the council and was renamed the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority.

The decorated war hero was committee chairman from 1977 to 1982 and remained a member until he resigned from the council three years later.

Current YDNPA chairman Carl Lis said: "The Yorkshire Dales National Park has lost a great supporter.

"He served on the committee for many years and was its chairman for five. During that time he helped to raise the national park's profile quite considerably."