A MAN who worked tirelessly to bring a medieval building back into use as a village hall in South Tawton and Lifton-based ‘The Black Farmer’ have both been made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the New Year Honours list.

David Youle, 88, spearheaded the project to restore the dilapidated Grade II* listed Church House in South Tawton as a community building, applying for major funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund. He was awarded the MBE for ‘services to local history’.

Eighteen yeasrs on, he still acts as the building’s caretaker and oversees a packed programme of bookings from children’s parties to village clubs.

David, who lives in nearby South Zeal, said: ‘It was a team job really but it just happened that I was in post as treasurer for the Parochial Church Council and they said “David, can you do this and go and see the Lottery people?” The National Park Authority were very keen that we should preserve the building for posterity.

‘It has been an exciting project, I worked out we had a team of 126 people working on it in total so it was really a team effort. It was a fulfilling and happy job and everyone got on with it.

‘I’m still up there most days moving furniture around and getting the heating right so it is quite a task being caretaker and treasurer and getting the money in from bookings but it is working well.

‘It is used by 20-30 different groups and we have children’s parties there and they all love it.’

Also awarded an MBE was the ‘The Black Farmer’ Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones for service to farming.

Wilfred, 62, realised his childhood dream of establishing a livestock and dairy farm at West Kitcham near Lifton 15 years ago and has built a successful business, selling sausages under The Black Farmer label on supermarket shelves.

He said the announcement that he was being presented with an MBE came as ‘a massive surprise’.

‘I’m used to a lot of surprises in my life but this one really came out of the blue,’ he said. ‘As far as I’m concerned I’ve just got on with what I’ve done.’

Both men will receive their MBEs at ceremonies at Buckingham Palace later in the year.

Another West Devon resident — Lee Spencer from Horrabridge — who became the first physically disabled person to row solo and unsupported from mainland Europe to south America, was given the BEM (British Empire Medal) in the New Year Honours List.